


This Captain Wears Red

by OPWonders



Series: ASL Facility AU [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Childhood Trauma, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dark Past, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Luffy Has More Powers, Mentions of Child Experimentation, Nightmares, Not OP Though, Past Violence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Stronger Luffy, long story, mentions of child abduction, past trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:21:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 170,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23119135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OPWonders/pseuds/OPWonders
Summary: Luffy's finally embarked on his own adventure! With his past weighing heavy on his shoulders, he'll move forward towards his dream of becoming Pirate King. He'll gather a crew that rivals Whitebeards and show all those marines who held him captive for so long what happens when you mess with a D. (Sequel to my story 'The Devil Wears White')
Series: ASL Facility AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1660000
Comments: 81
Kudos: 324





	1. Romance Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, and welcome back to what is inevitably going to be a story just as long as my last one. As excited as I am to start this story, it's also a little daunting because I know this is going to be a long one. The Devil Wears White,- which you should read first if you haven't already- was originally planned to be long, but no more than 30 chapters- and we all know where that went. Knowing this story will most likely easily reach the 100 chapter mark and then some means I have a lot of work ahead of me. Don't worry though; I'm going to be pacing myself and chipping away at it whenever possible! As I always say, it may take me some time, but I will never abandon a story! Anyways, I know you all are eager to jump in, so I'll let you do just that. At the end of this chapter I'll leave notes on things like updating schedule and tidbits if you're interested.
> 
> So without further adieu, enjoy!

Luffy, a newly 17-year-old teen, was smiling brightly as he lounged in his tiny row boat. Really, it was just a small dingy, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

Taking a bite from his apple he watched as the few small clouds above him slowly drifted past him.

He'd lived a relatively crazy life so far; from being kidnapped at age seven, held captive in a facility that tested on children daily for an entire seven years, being freed and finding the Whitebeard Pirates, joining the crew, and going on many adventures with them as their family. It was more than most could say they'd done in a lifetime- and honestly, most wouldn't want to be involved in the things Luffy had gone through.

Now, he was setting off on his own to build a crew that would rival not only Whitebeards, but Shanks' as well, and then the entire world in his pursuit to become the Pirate King.

He didn't want many crew members. As much as he loved all of his brothers and sisters back on the Moby, it was too large for him. He wanted a small crew- maybe ten members- that would be close, if not closer, than the Whitebeards were.

His smile widened at the thought, and he tossed the apple core in his hand into the ocean, moving to grab another from the barrel that had been full of them at the start of his journey. When his hand felt nothing but air he pouted but shrugged. Oh well, he'd just have to find an island or something if he wanted more food.

That wasn't going to be an option though as he looked ahead and saw a giant whirlpool in his path. His pout turned to a frown as he thought.

"Won't do me any good dying now, I've only just started my journey." He mumbled to himself, almost turning red with exertion as he tried thinking of a solution to his new issue. His eyes scanned over the things he had with him, and he grinned when he saw the empty barrel.

Laughing to himself, he grabbed his bag and hopped into the barrel, holding the bag to his chest and closing the lid above him.

It sure was dark in this barrel...

Within seconds he was falling asleep, completely unconcerned by the imminent danger he was in.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

Dreaming of meat and his family on the Moby, Luffy slept peacefully, unaware of the sharp movements his barrel was making as it- as well as his dingy- were pulled into the whirlpool. If anything, the movements soothed Luffy into sleeping deeper, only reminded of the storms that would happen back on the Moby, and even those he was able to sleep through just fine unless he was needed.

Eventually, his barrel was spat out and the rough movements stopped, replaced by only the soft bobbing of the waves carrying him along. He still didn't wake though, and when there was more movement, rough like the whirlpool, he snored, undisturbed.

A pulling motion was felt, but again, Luffy slept on, and then a feeling as if the barrel was being risen. A thunk, as if it'd been set down on hard ground, and then a rolling, the barrel moving once more.

And yet, he continued to sleep.

There was noise around him now, people talking, and his barrel was being lifted again and placed upright, and finally, he woke up.

There was still a noise around him, people talking, and he could feel emotions, as well as sense four people with his haki. One of the people was scared, nervous, anxious, worried, and overall just a mixture of bad feelings that Luffy didn't enjoy, so he promptly pushed those feelings away. The other three in the room were confident, happy, and fired up about something.

Deciding now was as good a time as any to leave his barrel, he stood, stretching and yawning as he did. Consequently, the barrel splintered open at his strength and he was able to stand to his full height, arms stretching maybe just a smidgen too far for a normal human.

Well, it was a good thing that Luffy wasn't a normal human.

"Ah, that was a good nap!" He called out with a smile, lowering his arms now as he took in the scene before him.

On the ground, one of the guys was knocked out, a red mark on his face. Two others stood over him, eyes wide, one of them sweating and the others jaw dropped in shock. There was a smaller guy with pink hair off to the side, looking equally as shocked as the other two.

"Who're you guys?" Luffy asked in confusion, wondering where he was and how he'd gotten there.

"No, who are _you?!_ " The two standing over the unconscious guy yelled, looking both angry and shocked at the same time.

"That guys gonna catch a cold if he sleeps there, y'know," Luffy told them as he stepped out of the barrel, ignoring the earlier question completely as he did.

 _"You did that!"_ The two said now, Luffy feeling as the blonde's anger increased and the darker haired one began to feel more dismayed then angry.

Suddenly, the emotions shifted again, determination filling the two, and just as Luffy was about to step completely out of the barrel, a sword was in front of him, stopping him.

"Are you toyin' with us even when you know we're pirates?!" The dark-haired one asked, still sweating, but determined. Luffy didn't even bother to address the two- despite their determination- and turned to the pink-haired kid, the only one who hadn't said anything yet. With how aggressive the other two were, Luffy felt that he might actually get answers from the nervous kid instead of them.

"Man, I'm hungry! You got any food?" He asked him, the boy's shock and fear rising as Luffy asked.

"Listen when people are talking!" The dark-haired man screamed in annoyance behind him. The anger in the blonde rose again, and Luffy tilted his head slightly, already knowing what the two behind him were preparing.

"You damn kid!" The blonde shouted, both he and the dark-haired man raising their weapons. Turning his head, Luffy wasn't worried as the weapons began to lower towards him.

"Die!" The blonde shrieked, he and his friend slashing their swords down swiftly, the pink-haired boy crying out and covering his eyes.

Before the swords could even touch him, Luffy used his armament haki to strengthen his hands, stopping the swords with it. With a clang the tips came flying off and sticking into the wood of the ceiling, the two pirates falling to the ground in shock.

"What's the big idea?" Luffy asked. He hadn't really been paying attention to what was happening- he was too hungry for that- but that didn't mean these two had to fight him about it.

"W-who are you?!" One of the men stammered.

"Me? I'm Monkey D. Luffy. Nice to meet ya!" Luffy exclaimed cheerily, despite the fact that these two had attacked him moments ago. With that, the two pirates both stood, grabbing the unconscious man on the ground and running out of the room in record time. Luffy watched them go in confusion, a small frown on his face as he did.

"What the... What just happened?" The boy behind him asked, shock still rolling off of him.

"What's with them?" Luffy asked still wondering what had happened. He knew it'd been a while since he'd been in the East Blue, but were people always this strange?

"R-run, hurry! If they come back with their friends, you'll be killed!" The pink-haired kid practically screamed with this realization, Luffy turning his head to listen. He could still feel the kid's shock, and now the kids fear as well, but he couldn't figure out why he felt that way. Everything was fine so far, and it wasn't Luffy that was scaring the kid, it was something else, but he just couldn't figure out what.

"But man, I sure am hungry!" Luffy said instead, deciding that the best course of action was to fill his stomach before trying to figure out the kid's emotions.

"How can you be so carefree?!" The kid asked in shock, his worry now increasing as he spoke.

"There are still lots more of them up on deck!" He continued, Luffy turning to look back at the door the others had left from. Shrugging, he turned towards two double doors and attempted walking towards them.

Attempted, because the kid grabbed onto his arm immediately, trying to pull him out the other way.

"Come on, this way! H-H-Hey! Not this way!" Luffy ignored the kid completely now, smelling what he knew to be food on the other side of the doors. Opening them, he stepped in, slamming them behind him and briefly noting that the kid was caught in them, shrieking in pain.

Again, he ignored this, more focused on the food he could both smell, and now see below him.

"Food! Food! Food! _Yes!_ Food!" Luffy cheered, jumping down and looking around at the array of boxes and bags filled with good smelling food.

"Actually, they might not find us in here!" Luffy barely heard the boy's words, still more focused on the important business. Food.

"Which should I choose? This box smells good. Ooh, jackpot!" Luffy cheered again as he opened the box to find it filled with fruit.

"These look great!" He said as he picked some up, smiling widely before tossing them into his mouth two at a time.

"M-my name is Coby. You're Luffy-san right?" The kid, Coby, asked from where he stood at the door.

"That was incredible just now! How did you do that?!" Coby asked as he began heading towards Luffy.

"These things are great!" Luffy said, disregarding Coby's words entirely as he turned to look at the boy, fruit in hand and smile on his face. Turning back to the fruit, Luffy thought of something.

"Is this a pirate ship?" He asked, remembering both the fact that he didn't know where he was and that the man earlier had said they were pirates.

"No, its a passenger ship that's being raided by Alvida-sama," Coby said, kneeling behind him now as Luffy continued eating from the box of fruit.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Luffy said, not recognizing a pirate named Alvida. He hadn't paid much attention to upcoming pirates back on the Moby, he left that up to everyone else, so it didn't surprise him that he didn't know this Alvida person.

"Do you know if there are any boats on board?" Luffy asked next, thinking back to the fact that he'd lost his earlier one. Too bad to- it had been a birthday present.

"I-I think so..." Coby said behind him, unsure of himself.

"My ship got swallowed by this giant whirlpool-"

"You mean _that_ whirlpool?! No one could survive that!" Coby shouted, interrupting Luffy. The straw-hatted teen laughed at that, turning again to look at Coby.

"Boy, was that a real surprise!" Luffy laughed, thinking back to his encounter with the turbulent water.

"Are you one of those pirates, too?" He asked now, wondering if Coby had been a passenger or a pirate.

"It was on that fateful day..." Coby began somberly, immediately launching into his story; Luffy watching blankly as he continued eating. As Coby told him about how he'd come to be apart of Alvidas crew, Luffy listened, feeling the boys fear and nervousness slowly dissipate as he spoke.

"It's been two years since... In exchange for my life, I've been forced to be a chore boy." The kid finished, hands on his knees as he stared at the ground.

"Man, you're dumb _and_ stupid!" Luffy deadpanned, wondering how Coby had managed to get himself in this position and why he was still here two years later.

"You're brutally honest..." Coby said in dismay.

"If you don't like it, then run away!" Luffy said as if it were obvious. He had brief flashes of being trapped in the facility, but he forced himself not to think about that. He wasn't able to stop himself from glancing at his wrist, his number staring back at him in bold black ink.

"I-I can't! No way! No way! Just the thought of Alvida-sama finding me... frightens me and makes me weak in the knees-" Coby said, only snapping Luffy's attention to him momentarily until Luffy began thinking of Haru, and how scared he'd been when he got out that the doctor was going to get him. He was tempted to call Coby weak, tell him that he didn't like weak people, people who didn't even try to stand up for themselves, but it was harder then it should have been.

"If you really hate it so much, you'll leave, no matter what," Luffy told Coby instead, frown on his face and voice low. Coby blinked at Luffy's sudden change in attitude, looking to the teen and noticing the frown on his face, an unidentifiable emotion in his eyes. Looking back down to the ground, Coby smiled weakly, eyebrows slanted.

"Y-yeah, you're right. If only I had the courage to drift the ocean in a barrel... there's actually something I want to do, too..." Coby said softly, breaking Luffy from his memories, remembering what Whiskey taught him about breathing and reminding himself he was no longer at the facility; no longer had to worry about Haru.

"Umm... What compelled you to set out onto the sea, Luffy-san?" Coby asked, looking back up at Luffy. Happy that the subject was changed Luffy smiled widely again, remembering his dream and everyone he'd made a promise to.

"I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!" Luffy exclaimed loudly, proud of himself. Coby's jaw dropped again and the shock Luffy had thought was finally gone was back.

"K-K-King of the Pirates?!" Coby squeaked out, sweating furiously.

"Yep."

"Are you serious?!"

"Yeah."

"Wait, you're a pirate Luffy-san?!"

"Yep."

"What about your crew?!"

"Don't got one. I'm just about to look for one." Luffy replied, answering all of Coby's questions diligently, smile never leaving his face and Coby's shock never dimming. If anything, it grew. Luffy blinked, confusion forming on his face as he watched the boy who was sat completely still, sweating and jaw hanging, not moving. Waving his hand in front of Coby's face, Luffy waited for the boy to do something.

"K-K-King of the Pirates is the title given to the person who obtains everything in this world! That means seeking the great treasure of wealth, fame and power, the One Piece!" Coby exclaimed, standing and spreading his arms out as Luffy nodded along, agreeing with the boy's words.

"Yup!"

" _Yup?!_ Pirates all over the world are after that treasure!"

"Me too!"

"No way! No way, no way, _no way!_ Absolutely no way! There's no way you can stand at the apex of this Great Pirate Era! No way! No way!-" Annoyed now, Luffy knocked Coby on the head, the boy falling to the ground as a result.

"Why did you hit me?" Coby whimpered out, holding his head.

"Just because," Luffy answered simply, wondering if Coby was going to stop now.

"But it's alright. I'm used to it now..." Coby said, and again, Luffy could feel that pull in his mind, the one telling him that the facility was never going to leave, that one day, he would be strapped to a chair, needles poking into his arms and scalpels cutting him open.

"It's not about whether I can or not," Luffy said instead, not letting himself dwell on those thoughts anymore.

"I'm gonna do it because I want to." He said, grabbing his hat and taking it off his head, holding it in front of him and staring at it while Coby watched from the ground.

"I've decided to be the King of the Pirates, so if I die fighting for that, that's fine with me!" Luffy said, voice soft yet confident as he spoke. There was a moment of silence as Luffy stared at his hat and Coby stared at Luffy, but eventually, Luffy placed his hat back on his head and began walking to the ladder.

"Now, then! My belly's full- guess I'll go get me a boat!" Luffy said, a boat being his next priority after food. After all, how was he supposed to have a crew and sail the ocean without a boat?

"I wonder if they'll give me one if I ask. Hopefully, they're generous." Luffy mumbled to himself, unaware that Coby was still kneeling on the ground behind him.

"I never once thought about it... Do you suppose I can do it too? If I'm prepared to die for it?" Coby asked quietly, Luffy stopping at the top of the ladder to look back down at Coby.

"Do what?" He asked, not sure what they were talking about now.

"Do you think... even I could join the navy?" Coby asked, making Luffy frown.

"Navy?" He asked, more to himself. Everything he knew about the navy- the Marines- had been from what he'd heard his brothers say back on the Moby. The navy was responsible for the facilities, allowed them to continue existing, but his grandfather was a marine, and he was a good guy, if not scary. Luffy knew not every marine was horrible and corrupt, just like he now knew not all doctors were mean and greedy, but it was still jarring for someone like Coby, someone innocent with a bright blue aura, to want to join those corrupt bastards Luffy had grown up to dislike.

"Yes! Catching bad guys is my dream! Its been my dream ever since I was little! Do you think I can do it?!" Coby asked, standing and turning to look at Luffy, tears in his eyes and fist held up in determination. Luffy looked at the boy for a minute, a small smile forming on his face as he took him in, emotions and all.

From what he could see and feel, Coby truly wanted to be a good person, wanted to help the world, unlike some of the worse Marines. It showed Luffy that he was right in his decision of Coby, that the boy was a good person and would probably continue to be that way- see through the corruption.

"How should I know?" Luffy finally said, still smiling to Coby as he did.

"No! I'll do it! If I'm gonna be a chore boy for the rest of my life, then I'll break out of here and catch even Alvida-sama- no, _Alvida!_ " Coby continued shouting in determination, Luffy liking what he was hearing. Of course, it was disrupted by the ceiling crashing in on them, scaring Coby who had made his way to the ladder in his shouting, and surprising Luffy as he watched the wood and dust fall down into the hole.

"You're gonna team up with him to catch _who?!"_ A voice asked in rage. Luffy noted that there was a person in front of him, not because he could see them- there was too much dust for that to be possible- but rather he could feel their presence with his haki as well as their emotions.

"Huh, Coby?!" The voice asked, and Luffy could see Coby cowering in the corner of the hole where he stood, shaking. Luffy leaned forward a bit to get a better view, and as he did swords came poking out of the wall behind him, missing him. The dust cleared and there was a large person standing there, their attention turning to Luffy who stared back at them, undeterred.

"You don't seem to be Zoro, the pirate hunter." The person said with a grin.

"Zoro?" Luffy asked, not sure who that was. Coby stood up straighter at the name but said nothing.

"Coby!" At the sound of his name, Coby screamed out in surprise, stiffening.

"Who's the most beautiful of all on these seas?!" The person asked loudly, Luffy only blinking as he watched. He could feel Coby's nervousness and fear rise as the boy began sweating, smiling shakily and rubbing the back of his head.

"O-of course, that would be-"

"Who's the big chunky lady?" Luffy asked instead, pointing to the person in front of him as he looked to Coby in confusion. Everyone blanched in shock at his words, but Luffy didn't understand why. It was a valid question.

_"Chunky?"_

"Not good!" From above them two people with swords watched the conversation, looking into the hole the woman had created when she came down. Luffy could feel a fury rise in the person in front of him, drawing his attention and forcing him to focus on keeping the emotions out, not wanting them to influence him. He didn't know why they were getting so angry, but he didn't want to get angry back and most likely wreck the ship as a result.

"You runt!" The person shouted in anger, raising their weapon high in the air above Luffy and swinging it down right where he stood. Before it could hit him, Luffy jumped away, landing in front of Coby.

"Let's go!" He told the boy, grabbing his hand and jumping upwards, out through the hole in the ceiling and taking Coby with him. There were people there, pirates, that moved out of his way, giving him space to land. One hand on his hat and the other holding Coby, he grinned to the pirates, daring them to try something. It seemed to work, a big burly guy with a sword growling as he began charging forward.

"Why, you-!" They shouted, swinging at Luffy, but due to his flexibility, the rubber boy leaned back, allowing the sword to glide over him instead. Being in motion already, Luffy pushed his weight forward, head butting the pirate to the ground and turning just as another pirate came at him, swinging their sword at his back. He punched them before they could finish the swing, knocking them to the ground. Another group of four all tried attacking him at once, but Luffy jumped back.

"Whoops!" He called in the air, landing safely a few feet away from them. Everyone on the deck stared at him in shock, swords aimed in his direction. Standing up straight again, Luffy laughed, holding his bicep. It had been a while since he'd had a fight, the journey to Dawn Island having been uneventful and leaving him itching for a fight. This was the East Blue and everyone here was weak, but that didn't mean it wasn't fun regardless.

His haki picked up a presence coming at him from the air behind, but he just sidestepped it, both the man and sword landing where he'd been standing seconds ago.

"It's not fair to attack from behind!" Luffy admonished, grabbing the pirate's head and throwing him at the group of watching pirates. He didn't have a second to think as his haki warned him of the many other pirates crowded behind him, all with sharp pointy swords.

"It's not fair to attack all at once!" Luffy called as he ran forward, the pirates following with a roar, swords raised. Passing the mast, Luffy grabbed onto it, continuing to run forward and letting his arm stretch as he did. He could feel the shock and confusion from the group behind him and grinned to himself. Reaching the end of the ship he turned to look at the pirates over his shoulder.

"Gotcha!" Luffy told them, watching as they all began running away.

"Gum Gum Rocket!" Luffy called out, letting his body fly back towards him arm, and consequently towards the fleeing pirates. He barreled into them, sending them all flying in every direction. Pirates successfully knocked out, Luffy stood with his hands on his hips, smiling still.

"Man, Sabo was right, surprise does work!" Luffy laughed out.

"L-Luffy-san... what are you?" Coby asked timidly as he walked towards him shakily.

"Me? I'm a rubber man!" Luffy told Coby, stretching out his cheek in demonstration. Sabo had told Luffy that not many people in the East Blue had devil fruits and that he would probably have to explain his abilities to people he met, so he wasn't surprised by Coby's shock. Well, to be fair, Coby had been shocked for most of their encounter together.

"A r-rubber person? You can't be serious!" Coby said, before feeling the presence behind him and scrambling behind Luffy.

"You've eaten a Devils fruit, haven't you?" Alvida asked, standing where Coby had been.

"Yeah, the Gum Gum fruit!" Luffy told her, finally letting go of his cheek and letting it snap back to normal.

"I see! I'd heard the rumors, but I guess they really do exist!" Alvida exclaimed, head tilting.

"You also seem pretty skilled. You a bounty hunter?" She asked.

"I'm a pirate!"

"A pirate?! Hah! All by yourself?!" Alvida laughed.

"It's just me right now, but I'll find some more sooner or later! Yeah... ten crewmen sounds good to me!" Luffy said optimistically.

"Ah, so you're a pirate too, huh?! Then that means you and me are enemies, huh?" Alvida asked, Luffy smiling still as he listened.

"L-Luffy-san! Let's get out of here!" Coby said worriedly beside him.

"Why?" Luffy asked with a frown.

"You saw how powerful her club is! In these waters she's the most-" Coby stopped speaking suddenly, staring at Luffy who stared back, still frowning.

"I'm the most what?" Alvida asked with a grin, the silence reigning for another moment. Luffy could feel Coby's fear, his anxiety, his nervousness, slowly become overpowered by courage and determination. The fear and anxiety was still there, no doubt about it, but it was overshadowed by the now stronger feelings.

"I'm the most what?!" Alvida asked again when no one spoke.

"T-t-the... The most ugly, cragged old hag ever!" Coby shouted. It was silent again, and Luffy could feel the shock coming from the ship beside this one, more pirates having been watching from there, and the anger from Alvida who stood menacingly in front of them. Coby squeezed his eyes shut, tears forming, but Luffy could still feel that courage and adrenaline pumping through the boy, making his frown turn into a grin. He began laughing, amused by both Coby's words and feelings.

"What did you say?!" Alvida shouted in rage, Luffy still laughing.

"I...I'm going to join the Navy! And then I'm gonna beat up pirates!" Coby exclaimed proudly, despite his fear.

"Do you even know what you're saying?!" Alvida asked, still looming over Coby and Luffy.

"I do! I'm gonna do what I want to do! I'm gonna... I'm gonna join the navy... and catch your lousy ass!" Coby screamed, hands in fists as he did, leaning forward slightly in exertion.

"You damn pipsqueak!" Alvida growled out, raising her club again, stopping Luffys laughing and making Coby scream in terror.

"Well said!" Luffy shouted out, crouching slightly in front of Coby, preparing himself to take the hit form the club.

He did just that, Alvida's club swinging down, landing square on his head and making the wood splinter beneath Luffy's feet from the weight and power behind the attack. His smile grew into a menacing grin now, still taking the weight of the mace.

"That doesn't work!" He exclaimed, feeling the shock from Alvida.

"'Cause I'm rubber!" He shouted, shifting his weight and swinging his fist back.

"Gum Gum..." His fist flew back, stretching far off the ship and over the water until it couldn't stretch any further.

"Pistol!" He exclaimed, shifting his foot forward in preparation for the force of his swing. His fist came flying back towards him, Alvida watching in a mixture of shock and fear as it sprung towards her, landing on her gut and sending her flying off the ship and into the air, farther than Luffy or Coby could see.

Luffy's fist returned to him, Luffy's whole body moving back as the force pushed him, smile still on his face and Coby staring at where Alvida had disappeared in shock, jaw on the ground again.

"Hey!" Luffy called, turning to the watching pirates on the neighboring ship.

"Yes?!" They asked in unison, stiffening at Luffy's attention.

"Give Coby a small boat! He's gonna join the navy! Keep your mouths shut and let him go!" Luffy ordered them with a serious look.

"R-right!" They called back before scrambling to do as told. Luffy grinned at this, feeling Coby's worry, nervousness, fear, shock, all melt away into a peaceful calm. Happiness.

"Luffy-san!" He said with a small smile. Luffy couldn't respond as cannons suddenly went off, cannonballs splashing in the ocean beside their ship and rocking it. Coby was knocked off balance, but Luffy managed to save himself, used to the shifting weight of a ship after being on the Moby for so long. When the movement died down they looked to see what was happening, and Luffy saw three navy ships in the distance.

"Its the navy!" Coby said in surprise.

"Oh, you want to be a marine right? You should go see 'em! But I'm a pirate! I'm outta here!" Luffy said, jumping over the railing and onto the neighboring ship, getting one of the lifeboats ready to go.

"Get serious! I can't just join the navy like this! I'll be captured instead!" Coby called after Luffy, still standing on the ship as he did. With those words, Luffy flung his arm at Coby, grabbing him and pulling him onto the boat and untying it, letting it fall into the water. Coby screamed the entire way down while Luffy laughed, holding onto the railing to keep from falling off.

Landing in the water, Luffy noticed another presence in the water beside them and looked to see an orange-haired woman, her emotions full of shock and slight fear as she looked back at him. He also felt a wave of nostalgia at the scent of tangerines that came off the woman. There was also a smell of berri there, but the sweet tangerine smell reminded him of his days in the facility where Emily used to give him and his brothers tangerines with their soup.

They stared at each other for a brief moment before the cannons went off again and reminded them all of their predicament.

Coby was quick to get the ship moving, the two of them heading away from the marines, leaving the orange-haired woman behind.

Luffy couldn't help but wonder about the hatred he'd felt deep inside the woman's emotions though.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

A while later, Luffy and Coby were drifting along safely, Marines long behind them and nothing but water surrounding them.

"Looks like we got away..." Coby mumbled as he looked around at the water, hand shielding his eyes from the sun.

"Whew, that was fun!" Luffy laughed from where he sat.

"Umm, Luffy-san?" Coby asked, stopping Luffys laughing.

"If you're heading for the One Piece, that means you're going to the Grand Line, right?" Coby asked him, worry bubbling inside him that made Luffy want to frown. Why was Coby such a worrywart? It reminded him of Marco a bit, but even Marco wasn't this bad.

"Yeah," Luffy responded, still smiling despite previous thoughts.

"That place is also referred to as a pirate graveyard, you know," Coby told him matter-of-factly.

"Yeah. That's why I need a strong crew." Luffy said, equally nonchalant as he did. He'd heard all about that from Thatch and the others during parties more than once. It was a point of amusement for the veteran crew of pirates, and they would tell the brothers all about how the Grand Line was Paradise in comparison to the New World. Hence, why the Grand Line was also nicknamed Paradise despite it also being the pirate graveyard.

"What about that pirate hunter guy? What's he like?" Luffy asked, remembering Alvida talk about him earlier. If others knew this guy's name, he must be strong. He had to start somewhere after all.

"You mean Zoro? I heard he's being held at a navy base." Coby told him with a frown.

"Aw, he's a weakling?" Luffy whined, having really hoped this person would be stronger, but if he was being held here in the East Blue, the weakest sea, he was no doubt a weakling.

"Nothing of the sort! He's as terrifying as a demon!" Coby exclaimed, hands braced on the barrel as he leaned towards Luffy. There was a moment of silence as Coby's expression changed from one of shocked worry to a frown.

"Why are you asking about him?" He asked, worried for the answer. Luffy grinned his D grin at that, laughing a little.

"Thought I might have him join my crew if he's a good guy!" Luffy told him, making Coby blanche.

"You're being reckless again!" Coby shouted, reminding Luffy of Ace and Sabo.

"C'mon, he might be a good guy!" Luffy told him, knowing that stranger things had happened. He wouldn't be surprised if this, 'demon' really was a good guy after all. Besides, he and his brothers were accused of being monsters, demons, hell-born, and they weren't bad people at all. At least, he didn't think so. He couldn't check his own aura, so he couldn't know for sure.

"He's been caught because he's a bad guy!" Coby retorted, only making Luffy frown, knowing that it wasn't always as black and white as that.

"No! No way, no way, no way! Absolutely no- Why did you hit me?" Coby asked, nursing his head after Luffy had hit him again.

"Just because!" Luffy replied as if it were no big deal, but really he was just getting annoyed by Coby's shouting again.

If he had known Coby would nag him worse than Marco and Sabo combined, he might have reconsidered having him come along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends the first chapter of this new adventure! Writing the words 'Chapter 1' again made me extremely happy.
> 
> So, for those curious, I will be updating this story every two weeks on Thursdays. I want to make sure I give myself time in between updates so that I don't overwork myself which I very nearly did when writing The Devil Wears White. Don't get me wrong, I loved every second of TDWW, but I also know now after having taken a two month break in between stories that it was also very draining to pump out weekly chapters of such a long story. How Oda does it, I'll never know.
> 
> I do have a few chapters already written in case of emergencies, and I do have an outline that takes us far into the Two-Year Time Skip though. I've put a lot of thought into this story and I can't wait to really get into it.
> 
> In the beginning, things will follow cannon a bit as you can already see, but I will be adding extra scenes, changing certain dialogues, and eventually drifting off completely when necessary to fit the world of my TDWW AU.
> 
> Also, like I did with TDWW, I will be aiming for 3,000 words minimum for each chapter, however, so far I've been writing far more than 3,000 words easily. Expect longer chapters than TDWW, but keep in mind that every once in a while there may be a chapter that's only 3,000 words. Hopefully longer chapters more often will make up for such a long wait in between chapters.
> 
> In terms of notes on this chapter; as you may have noticed, Luffy wasn't recognized as 11097 despite having a rather high bounty. This is mostly because the most recent news on him and his brothers is that he's still in the New World causing havoc with the Whitebeards. No one is expecting him to be in the East Blue, so when faced with him, their mind doesn't immediately connect the dots that it's him. Not to mention, he's a New World pirate. Even though people would know and hear about him, not everyone would know what he looks like. Pirate hunters hanging around the Blues would focus their attention on wanted posters for people in their seas, which I feel is the same for normal people or pirates living in those seas.
> 
> In terms of Luffy's strength at the moment, his raw physical strength is around the same as after the two year time skip. He's able to fight toe to toe with people like Doflamingo, but still have trouble with Big Mom. As for his haki, while the Whitebeards helped train him in it, its still not as perfected as when Rayleigh was finished with him. In my mind, it's about half trained. While he does know that he has conquerors haki, and he has used it before, he's not trained in it to the point of using it easily on command. His armament and observation haki is also better than a beginner, but not expert level yet. Intermediary. While he can sense people's presences, he wouldn't be able to find a specific person on the opposite side of the island with his haki, and while he could easily block swords and bullets with armament, he wouldn't be able to hold it for too long.
> 
> I hope all of that made sense.
> 
> With all of that said, I'll see you all again in two weeks with the next chapter!


	2. Pirate Hunter Zoro

"What great weather!" Luffy exclaimed cheerfully from where he sat on the bow of their small boat. Seagulls flew overhead, the sun was shining, and there were only a few clouds in the sky. Compared to the turbulent weather of both Paradise and the New World, this was amazing.

"If we keep going this way, we should see the navy base island soon!" Coby told Luffy, sitting against the railing behind the teen. Even though Luffy was already wanted and the marines were his enemy for more reasons then just him being a pirate, he didn't feel any worry about going to an island with a base on it. If anything, he was excited at the prospect that they would reach a new island soon.

"Wow, Coby! You're amazing! We're actually going to reach our destination?" Luffy asked, honestly having thought they would drift and _maybe_ reach the island they were intending to land on. He wasn't a navigator like the ones on the Moby, and he hadn't expected Coby to be either.

"Of course! These are the bare minimum skills all sailors need!" Coby said as if it were obvious. Maybe it was, but Luffy didn't know that, so instead he laughed, arms stretched out wide beside him.

"This is no time to be laughing Luffy-san," Coby said quietly, more to himself as he noticed Luffy was too busy laughing to notice his words. Coby was about to tell Luffy more about Zoro seeing as the pirate hunter was being held on the island they were headed to, but as he turned his head to address his companion, he saw something dark on the teen wrist. He hadn't noticed before in the chaos that had been Alvida's ship, but now that things had calmed down, Coby could clearly see a tattoo on Luffys wrist.

"What's that?" Coby asked because even though he could see it was something done in black ink, he couldn't make out what it was. Luffy's laughing stopped as he looked over his shoulder at Coby in confusion.

"What's what?" Luffy asked, looking around their ship for whatever Coby was seeing, but finding nothing. Did Coby have super sight like Ace did? Was that what the boy's glasses were for?!

He didn't get to ask the question though as Coby answered him, pointing to his hand.

"The tattoo on your wrist. I didn't notice it before, what is it?" Coby asked, and even though it was an innocent question, Luffy frowned, looking to his wrist and staring at the numbers.

"A tattoo," Luffy responded plainly, and Coby noticed that Luffy didn't seem to be happy about this turn in conversation. Was it a botched tattoo? Was that why Luffy was acting so weird about it all of a sudden?

"What's it of?" Coby asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Luffy looked from his wrist now to Coby, examining the blue of the boy's aura, the innocence and pure curiosity in him. There was no darkness, no malice, no ill will, just simple, plain, curiosity.

After another second of wondering how he was going to respond, Luffy turned his wrist, giving Coby a better look at it.

"Numbers," Luffy told him, voice still flat as he did. The pink-haired boy stepped forward in confusion, wanting to get a better look.

"Numbers?" Coby asked in confusion, taking in the bold 11097 on the inside of Luffy's wrist, and there was something familiar about them, something telling Coby that he should be wary of someone with these numbers, and then he realized.

"W-wait-! 11097?! A-As in, the Whitebeard pirate, demon trio, 11097?! _The_ 11097?!" Coby shrieked, back peddling away from Luffy at the realization that this was 11097, the monster that he'd seen plastered in the newspaper time and time again alongside his brothers. He should have known, because even though he was better known as 11097, his name- Monkey D. Luffy- was also on his wanted poster.

Almost everyone in the world knew about the famous numbered trio. The brothers that had escaped from a mental hospital, taking with them everyone else that had been in the hospital with them. It was said that children with numbers on their wrists were dangerous, and if found you were to stay away and contact the marines at once.

There had been sweeps on islands after that; Marines coming and checking anyone they deemed young enough for numbers on their wrists. Coby himself had been checked years ago, but with no number, the marines had left him alone.

Knowing now that Luffy was one of those children, one of the ones to fight his way out of the hospital despite the guards, Coby didn't know how he felt. On one hand, he had begun to think of Luffy as a friend, especially when the boy hadn't laughed at his dream to become a marine, but now he was wondering if that had been because Luffy really was crazy or something. After all, he had been in a mental hospital for a reason, right?

"Yeah, that's me," Luffy said bluntly, waiting to see what Coby would say about it. He could feel the turmoil in him, and Luffy was beginning to think that he was going to have to call it a loss with Coby. He didn't hate the boy for the way he was feeling, he'd seen Ace and Sabo angry at the news about them many times before, and he knew that Coby had no idea about the facility, but that didn't mean it wasn't disheartening to see someone he'd thought of as a friend suddenly become afraid of him all because of some meaningless numbers on his wrist.

Damn those Marines, and double damn those doctors at the facility.

"Y-You've got a bounty of 350,000,000 berri!" Coby continued as if Luffy didn't know his own bounty. It had slowly been rising again along with Ace and Sabo's. The eldest was now at 500,000,000 berri and Sabo was at 450,000,000 himself.

"Right," Luffy answered instead, still waiting for Coby's decision on whether him being 11097 was going to change things or not.

The pink-haired boy gaped at him for a minute, mouth opening, closing, opening, as if trying to find words, and then he collapsed to the ground.

"That's it then? You didn't laugh at my dream to become a marine because you have a mental problem?" Coby asked quietly as if it was meant for just himself to hear, yet Luffy heard it too. The straw-hatted teen was confused by the words, not expecting them at all as he felt Coby's sudden dismay.

"Mental issue?" Luffy asked, getting off the bow now and walking over to Coby, crouching down in front of him.

"Y-yeah, it was all over the news. You and your brothers escaped a mental hospital, right?" Coby asked, wondering if Luffy even knew he had a problem.

"Oh, that's what they said?" Luffy asked, having forgotten about that. It seemed like so long ago that he and his brothers were reading the news about their escape, and he'd forgotten about the details of the marines cover story for the facility.

"U-uh, yeah?" Coby said, now unsure of himself. Luffy rocked back on his heels, sitting on the ground now as well.

"No, it wasn't a mental hospital we escaped from," Luffy told him with another frown, looking at his number.

"It wasn't? But the marines-"

"They lied," Luffy said darkly, glaring at the numbers now, annoyed with Coby's blind devotion towards the marines.

He took a deep breath, reminding himself that there was no way Coby could know about all the going-ons of the corrupt side of the Marines, so there was no need to get mad at him for it. He could already feel the spike of fear coming from him due to his sudden anger.

"The Marines lied. About it being a mental hospital." Luffy said again in a calmer voice. He looked to Coby now, glare gone and replaced with a small frown instead.

"B-but why? W-why would the marines lie?" Coby asked in confusion, his fear slowly giving out to his curiosity as he sat up straighter, looking to Luffy's number again.

"Because they wanted to hide something, why else?" Luffy asked as if it were obvious.

"Hide something? Like what?" Coby asked, only getting more questions with every answer.

"A facility." The words Luffy spoke were said with such venom it surprised Coby. He hadn't heard Luffy speak like this in the short time he'd known him. Luffy had been carefree, reckless, and relatively smiley this entire time, so for him to suddenly speak with so much anger, so much hurt, it shocked Coby more than when the teen had exclaimed his dream to become Pirate King.

"A facility?" Coby asked. Luffy was quiet now, and Coby was beginning to wonder if he was going to get an answer, but eventually, he did.

"A facility. It's a bad place, Coby. It's run by the government, no matter how much the marines try and convince everyone its not. My brothers and I were taken there when we were little and held there for seven years until we were finally able to get out." Luffy said, eyes growing distant at the memories of the place, and as much as Coby didn't understand why the marines would run such a horrible place, or even how this place was so horrible in the first place, the look in Luffy's eyes told him that he wasn't trying to lie or deceive him.

He'd been called naive before- too trusting- but right here and now, he believed Luffy when he told him this 'facility' was a bad place, one that he didn't think he wanted to see anytime soon.

"The marines weren't happy that we escaped, so they lied and told everyone we were bad people so everyone would be scared of us. We got bounties, and the Whitebeards kept us safe from the Marines and the doctors. The Whitebeards saved us, and eventually, we joined them. Became their family." Luffy told Coby, pulling his red vest open enough to show the tattoo on his chest that proudly bore the Whitebeards insignia.

"But I still wanted to become the King of the Pirates, and Pops said I was allowed to leave whenever I wanted. I stayed with them until a few months before my seventeenth birthday, and they brought me back to my home island here in the East Blue where I set sail on my birthday. Even though the marines want me back, I'm going to become the King of the Pirates, no matter what. I'm gonna be the freest man there is!" Luffy exclaimed confidently as if there was no doubt in his mind that his words were true.

Coby stared at Luffy in awe, his previous fear melting away as he remembered why he liked Luffy so much. The teen's conviction in everything he said and did, his confidence, was inspiring, and mental health problem or no, Coby believed Luffy's words, even if it was hard for him to grasp that this meant the marines weren't as good as he'd always believed them to be.

The two sat in silence for a minute more, but finally, Coby nodded, determination on his face.

"I believe you. I don't really understand it all, and I still want to become a marine, but I believe you Luffy-san." Coby said. Luffy could feel the truth in the boy's words and smiled now, happy he hadn't lost his friend.

"Shishishi, I like you, Coby, even if you are a crybaby weakling!" Luffy laughed, holding his hat to his head as he stood and returned to sit on the bow.

"You'll be a good marine," Luffy said softly as he climbed onto the bow and sat down, watching the ocean again with a fond look. Coby felt as if there was more meaning to Luffy's words then he was grasping, but seeing as he couldn't figure it out, he brushed them off, instead walking closer to Luffy.

"Tell me about this Zolo guy," Luffy said after a brief pause. Coby blinked, not expecting those to be Luffy's next words- not after the big revelation that, not only was Luffy 11097 but that the Marines apparently ran a 'facility', whatever that meant.

"O-oh, uh, well, its Zoro, not Zolo." Coby started with a slight stutter, watching Luffy's back.

"Zoro, right," Luffy said with a nod, trying to remember the name. If Sabo heard he was giving people nicknames again he'd hunt him down just to lecture him about it.

"He's being held prisoner on the island, and he's a famous Pirate Hunter here in the East Blue. The man who's chopped up bounties like a bloodthirsty beast. People say he's a demon in human form!" Coby said, sweating nervously at the thought of who they were going to see. Of course, it was a bit silly now to be scared of the East Blue pirate hunter now that he knew he was sailing with a notorious ex-Whitebeard pirate.

At Coby's words, Luffy smiled, laughing to himself.

"A demon, huh? Maybe he's strong after all."

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"We made it! The Navy Base city!" Luffy exclaimed as he jumped off the boat, Coby guiding it safely into port behind him.

Even though he was a well-known pirate, Luffy felt no qualms walking through the city. Besides, Alvida hadn't recognized him, and it took Coby seeing his wrist to realize who he was as well. Maybe no one here would notice either.

Coby and Luffy began walking through the town together, Luffy with a grin of excitement and Coby with a look of nervousness.

"Seriously, Luffy-san, you're crazy to want him to join you!" Coby said, trying to reason with the pirate.

"I haven't decided yet, I just wanna see if he's a good guy," Luffy told Coby truthfully, knowing that if this Zoro guy wasn't good, then he wouldn't want anything to do with him.

"He's been caught because he's a bad guy!" Coby yelled, stopping in the middle of the street while Luffy continued forward, stopping at a fruit stand. Picking up a pear, he took a bite, tossing a coin to the woman running the stand.

"Do you know if Zoro's being held at the base?" He asked her but was immediately met with everyone nearby jumping away in shock.

"It seems like the name Zoro is taboo here..." Coby whispered to Luffy. The pirate examined the staring townspeople, fear radiating off of them.

"Let's check out the base anyways." Luffy decided, frowning a bit as he continued eyeing the scared townspeople.

"You're gonna be a marine, right?" Luffy asked as they began walking towards the base again, Coby following a bit more unsure of himself now.

"Y-yes... but I'm not really ready yet... Rumor has it, a guy named Captain Morgan is at this base, and-" Like with Zoro's name the townspeople who had gradually begun getting back to work, all jumped away again in shock. Their fear doubled which made Luffy's frown deepen because even if he didn't like Marines, he knew that civilians usually liked them. So why were these ones so scared of this Captain guy more so then Zoro?

"Strange... I understand Zoro, but why are they afraid of a navy Captain's name?" Coby asked as they began walking down the street once more, hurrying to walk beside Luffy. The older teen looked to Coby out of the corner of his eye, still frowning, and shrugged.

"Maybe he's a bad guy," Luffy said simply as if it were obvious, and to him, it was.

"A bad guy? But he's a marine!" Coby said incredulously, suddenly remembering that Luffy himself was a pirate and technically a bad guy.

"Doesn't matter if you're marine, pirate, civilian or merchant. People are good or bad depending on their actions. Marines can be bad and pirates can be good." Luffy said as if he'd rehearsed the words to himself before. Coby stared at Luffy for a minute, not responding.

The two continued walking without talking, and eventually, they reached a large iron gate, the words Marine written across it in big Kanji.

"Alright! That's the place!" Luffy said, hands on his hips as he looked at the gate.

"I'm finally here!" Coby said with tears in his eyes.

"I guess this is where we part ways, Luffy-san! It was only for a short time, but-" Coby, who had been crying into his arm, noticed that Luffy was no longer at his side at the gate, but rather instead, he was scaling the large wall, feet kicking as he tried getting good footing.

"Luffy-san! What in the world are you doing?!" Coby shrieked, arms waving as he panicked.

"Now wheres this demon?" Luffy asked, hand shielding his eyes as he scanned the courtyard in front of him.

"He wouldn't be out here. I'm sure he's in a prison cell or something..." Coby sweat dropped, standing at the base of the wall as he waited for Luffy to finish investigating.

"There he is! Alright!" Luffy called, dropping down from the wall and running off towards where he'd seen the man. He had felt the emotions first, the hunger, some pain, frustration, annoyance, but most of all, determination, conviction. With such strong emotions, it was easy for Luffy to pinpoint where the man was at, and once he had, he wanted to get a closer look.

"See! There he is!" Luffy said, now atop another wall and watching the green-haired man, tied to a post. Coby climbed up beside him, his skepticism clear to Luffy as he did.

"Yeah, right! He wouldn't be out-" Coby stopped talking, eyes widening as he saw that Luffy had been right. Roronoa Zoro was sitting within plain view of them. He was on the other side of the courtyard, but it was no doubt the pirate hunter he'd heard about, the black bandana and hamaraki confirmed it.

Luffy stared at the man with a frown, pulling up the man's aura and seeing that it was a bright, clear blue just like Coby's. There wasn't even a speck of grey in it which made Luffy smile in relief.

"He can get away easy if we untie those ropes!" Luffy told Coby, pointing to the man in question.

"D-don't be stupid! There's no telling what'll happen if we let him loose! I bet he'd try to kill you too Luffy-san, you are a pirate after all!" Coby shouted at the pirate, fear gone for a brief second as he did.

"Don't worry, I'm strong!" Luffy replied without any worry. He was confident that he could take the man. He'd fought many more men then just him before, and while Luffy was sure that this man was no stranger to fights, he didn't think he would stand a chance against anyone from the Moby.

"Hey, you guys." Zoro suddenly spoke up, causing Coby to stiffen in shock at the fact that they'd drawn his attention. Luffy looked towards the man as well, curious as to what he was going to say. He was still unsure whether or not he wanted Zoro to join him, so based on what the man said and did, he would decide.

"You're an eyesore. Get lost!" He said, looking over to them at the end. Coby began to freak out, clearly scared by the words, while Luffy continued examining him. He could feel a pique in the man's annoyance, but there was something else there like he had another reason for saying his words other than being annoyed with them.

"Luffy-san, there's no way you could survive with him on your crew! You're a pirate, he's a pirate hunter! If you took him-" Coby stopped trying to convince Luffy when they noticed that there was a ladder being placed beside them, a little girl climbing up it and shushing them. She peeked around the courtyard, and once she found the coast was clear she hung a rope down, using it to climb down the other side of the wall. Once safely on the ground, she began running toward Zoro, which only made Coby start freaking out again.

"Oh no! Luffy-san, stop her! She'll be killed!" Coby asked his friend, hoping he would see the danger that the child was in. It was useless though because the girl was already reaching Zoro, hugging something to her chest and smiling while Zoro frowned at her.

"What?" He asked in a growl making Coby squeak in fear for not only the girl but them as well. He wouldn't put it past the man to kill them with just a look.

"You must be hungry! I made you some rice balls!" The girl said, unwrapping what she was holding as she spoke. Luffy realized that some of the pain Zoro was feeling must be hunger, which only made his stomach growl in response. He'd gone hungry before, and he knew how much it not only hurt but how much it weakened a person.

"Do you wanna get killed, pipsqueak? Scram!" Zoro said to the kid, but again, Luffy didn't feel that Zoro was being malicious with his words. There was another reason behind them, an urgency that wasn't being conveyed through his tone, but the way he was feeling.

"You haven't eaten anything this whole time. Here! This is my first time, but I worked really hard to make them!" The girl said, presenting the rice balls to Zoro. Luffy saw the shift in the man's features as if tempted or touched, he wasn't sure, and then he was scowling again.

"I ain't hungry! You're an eyesore! Get the hell outta here!" Zoro growled out. Luffy could feel the lies rolling off the man with each word he spoke, making him frown. He could feel that Zoro had a reason for saying these things, but he couldn't figure out what it was just yet.

"But..."

"I don't want 'em! Don't make me kick your ass!" Again, Luffy could feel that Zoro wouldn't follow through with those words, that he was once again lying, but _why?_

The feeling of new emotions nearing drew Luffy's attention to the gates off to the side of the courtyard, three men walking through them.

"It's not nice to be a bully!" A new voice said almost mockingly, Luffy watching as two marines and a man in a suit walked in. His frown deepened as he felt Zoro's emotions dive into worry that was directed toward the kid, and the teen was beginning to piece together all of Zoro's previous words and lies. A quick check told Luffy that while the marines at the blondes side both had clear blue auras, the blonde man himself had a much darker blue tinged with hints of grey around its edges. The sight put Luffy on edge, but he forced himself to take deep breaths, turning his attention to what was now being said.

"You seem surprisingly well, Roronoa Zoro." The blonde in the suit said. Beside him, Luffy could feel Coby's relief, contradicting Zoro's worry, and it made Luffy want to find happier emotions.

"Thank goodness! He must be with the navy! Now that girl will be safe!" Coby said, relieved. Luffy said nothing to that, only looking at Coby at the corner of his eye before turning back to watch the scene in front of him.

"Oh! Those are some tasty-looking rice balls." The blonde said, snatching up one of the balls before the kid could react.

"Stop!" The blonde's eyes widened as he took a bite and a look of disgust washed over his face before he immediately began spitting the food out, coughing as he did.

"Too damn sweet! They're full of sugar! You're supposed to use _salt,_ not sugar!" He shouted to the girl, fist raised as he did. Luffy couldn't feel that the man had any intent to actually hurt the kid himself though, so he didn't move, but his frown did deepen.

"But I thought they might taste better sweet..." The girl said to him, still holding the remaining rice ball in her hand. The blonde quickly kicked it down though, stomping on it as he shouted some more.

"Take this! And this!"

"Stop! Stop!" The girl fell to her knees as she watched the rice balls get smashed into the dirt. Zoro didn't even look up as this happened, though he was frowning and Luffy could feel an anger rising in him.

"H-how horrible!" Coby whispered from where he watched, wondering how a marine could do such a thing.

Finally, the blonde stopped stomping, leaving the dirt-covered rice on the ground while the girl looked on in tears.

"And I worked so hard to make those..." She sniffled.

"Did you not read the notice? _'Those who help criminals will be executed! Navy Captain Morgan'._ " The blonde recited, pulling out said notice and reading off of it. The girl stiffened, and Luffy could feel the fear striking through her. Zoro's anger raised as well, and Luffy would have intervened by now if he didn't feel that, while the blonde spoke as if he would, he didn't have any conviction in him.

"Looks like even little brats know how scary my dad is!" The blonde said with a smirk, hand on his hip as he looked down on the girl.

"Dad?" Luffy questioned, wondering what this guy's dad had to do with anything.

"Then that's Captain Morgans son?!" Coby asked in shock, realizing faster than Luffy who the blonde kid was.

"You. Throw the kid out." The blonde said, pointing to one of the soldiers behind him.

"Sir?!"

"I said throw her over the wall! Or can you not follow my orders?! Don't make me tell my dad!" The blonde said, grabbing the soldier by his shirt as he berated him.

"Y-yes, sir! Right away sir!" The soldier replied, Luffy feeling his fear and unwanting.

"N-no!" The girl cried as the marine crouched to pick the girl up before tossing her over the wall. Luffy's frown never let up as he watched the girl fly over the wall and he jumped off the top of the wall, stretching his arms to ensure he would reach the girl and tucking her to his chest, landing on his back to take the brunt of the force.

"T-thanks..." The girl said with a smile to Luffy, her gratitude much nicer to Luffy then the fear he'd felt from her moments ago.

"Are you alright Luffy-san?!" Coby asked as he ran over in worry, his attention quickly shifting to the girl in Luffys arms.

"Are you alright? I can't believe how horrible that guy is! Do you hurt anywhere?" The pink-haired boy asked as he kneeled by the girl, checking her over for injury. Meanwhile, Luffy was standing, collecting his hat off the ground and putting it back on his head and making sure the string was around his neck.

With Coby occupied, Luffy had no one to stop him as he climbed back up- and this time over- the wall. He noticed that the blonde and the two soldiers were gone, leaving both Zoro and Luffy alone in the courtyard.

"I hear you're a bad guy," Luffy said simply to the man, wanting to see and feel his reaction. Zoro looked at him, scowling again.

"Are you still here?" Zoro asked in another growl.

"Are you even strong at all?" Luffy continued asking.

"Mind your own business!" Walking over to the man, Luffy inspected him, his frown never letting up. He could still feel the ever-present annoyance coming from the man, along with the small bit of worry directed towards the girl, and then there was the mixture of duller emotions, like pain and exhaustion and even a little bit of remaining anger.

"If it were me, I'd probably starve in three days," Luffy said matter-of-factly, knowing it was true.

"I've got more spirit then you. I will live through this. I swear it." Zoro said with a grin now, and the strong feelings of determination and conviction were back tenfold, finally making Luffys frown subside and be replaced with a grin of his own.

Pleased with what he'd heard, Luffy turned to leave but was stopped when Zoro spoke up again.

"Wait!" He called, making Luffy turn to look back at him.

"Could you pick that up for me?" Zoro asked, looking to the crushed rice ball.

"You're gonna eat this?" Luffy asked, not in disgust, but genuine curiosity. He knew that after the seven years of garbage soup that this rice ball would have been heaven sent to him and his brothers, so it was no surprise to him that the starved pirate hunter would think the same.

"Its mostly a mud ball now," Luffy warned as he picked it up in his hands.

"Just shut up and give it here!" Zoro shouted in slight desperation. Luffy only watched him for another second more before grinning and tossing the food, dirt and all, into the man's mouth. He ate it greedily, not losing a single bit, and then coughed.

"Told you so," Luffy said as he watched, arms folded over his chest, still smiling.

"It was good. Tell the kid I said thanks for the food." Zoro said to Luffy, meaning his words.

Luffy's smile widened.

**_/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_ **

"Really?!"

"Yeah! He ate every last bite!" Luffy told the girl- Rika he'd found out. Coby sat on the steps in the alley they were in, a mixture of confusion and disbelief fighting inside him as he listened to Luffy talk.

"I'm so happy!" Rika said, holding her hands to her chest as she did. Luffy could feel just how happy she was, and it made him happy by extension, glad that there was finally some good emotions after all the bad ones.

"Is Zoro really as evil as all the rumors say?" Coby asked softly in confusion, not understanding how someone who was portrayed as such a bad guy could actually be good.

"No!" Rika said in the man's defense.

"After all, he let himself get crucified in our place..." She said, guilt now rolling off of her in waves that made Luffy take deep breaths to avoid feeling guilty himself.

And those bad feelings were back.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Luffy asked once he was able to successfully block out the feelings, wanting to know more. Even though he was pretty sure he'd made a decision on wanting Zoro to join his crew or not, that didn't mean he couldn't try and learn more about him. It would also help to know how he'd gotten crucified in the first place.

"Its all that Helmeppo's fault. He's Captain Morgans son..." Rika began before launching into the story of how Zoro had defended both the girl and her mother from the man's dog and in turn gotten imprisoned.

"Helmeppo punches and kicks him while he's tied up!" Rika said before crying into her hands, obviously distressed.

"I see..." Coby said, but a sudden wave of fear and a loud noise drew their attention to the building they were sitting beside.

Walking in, they saw Helmeppo there, demanding free food as he lounged in his chair, soldiers at his side.

A familiar scent of tangerines and berri drew Luffy's attention to the red-haired girl sitting in one of the chairs, but with more pressing matters, Luffy didn't pay her much mind, instead focusing back to the blonde.

"I've been bored lately, so I've decided to execute Zoro tomorrow. Look forward to it!" Helmeppo announced to everyone in the room before laughing. Luffy felt a familiar burning rage fill him as he clenched his fist, running forward and punching the man squarely in the jaw, sending him flying out of his chair and into the wall.

"W-what the hell're you doing?!" Helmeppo cried out, holding his face as the soldiers he was with ran to his side. Luffy was ready to charge forward again, but Coby stopped him by grabbing his arms.

"Luffy-san! Please stop!" Coby pleaded, and even though Luffy knew he could easily get out of the boy's grip, he let himself be held back.

"This guy is the worst kind of person!" Luffy growled out, trying to let the rage in him dispel. He knew it'd do no good to beat the blonde up, all that would accomplish was making him feel only a smidgen better and getting the whole of this islands marines after him, so he let himself be held back, forced himself to let go of the anger. After all, he still had to get Zoro to join his crew.

"Y-you hit me! I'm Captain Morgans son, you know!" Helmeppo cried in shock.

"So what?!" Luffy called back, and all that work he'd put into not getting angry fell apart as he felt it all come rushing back.

"I'm gonna tell my dad and he's gonna execute you!" The blonde responded.

"Fight me yourself!" Luffy shouted, raising a fist, ready to fight.

"Luffy-san! Calm down!" Coby once again pleaded, and the worry and fear from the boy gave him something else to focus on besides his rage.

"I've made up my mind Coby!" Luffy said, addressing the pink-haired boy now to focus on something else besides the infuriating blonde in front of him.

"I'm going to have Zoro join my crew!"

**_/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_ **

Luffy stood in front of the cross Zoro was tied to, watching as the man slept. He could feel the pirate hunters' muted emotions change from nostalgic, to longing, and then sadness and another bout of conviction. There was a moment as the man woke up that there was a tiny bit of fear, but it was gone quickly, replaced with a feeling of disorientation as his head shot up to look at Luffy.

Zoro was quick to hide his emotions from his face, a sneer replacing the fear in an instant.

"You again? You sure have lots of free time." He said in what was supposed to be a menacing voice, but Luffy could still feel the emotions from the man's dream, making the words less intimidating.

Not that the man could intimidate Luffy in his state anyway.

"I'll untie you, so join my crew!" Luffy said finally. Zoro's confusion was clear on both his face and his emotions.

"Say what?!" He asked, making Luffy grin.

"I'm looking for people to join my pirate crew," Luffy told him, walking closer to him.

"Forget it! Me, stooping to a criminal's level?! Screw that!" Zoro said, grinning at first before sneering once more.

"What's wrong with being a pirate?" Luffy asked in curiosity.

"Pirates are despicable! As if I'd wanna be one!" Zoro replied. Luffy smiled again.

"Oh, come on! You're already known an evil bounty hunter!" Luffy said as if being a pirate was better, or equal to that.

"People can say whatever they want, but I ain't done anything I regret. I will live through this and accomplish what I want!" Zoro said with another grin, another bout of determination filling him.

"Yeah? But I've decided you're gonna join me!" Luffy said, not telling the man that he was set to be executed soon. He didn't want that to influence Zoro's decision on whether he wanted to join or not with his imminent death.

"Quit deciding on your own!" Zoro shouted to him, only making him laugh.

"I hear you use a sword," Luffy said, ignoring the previous words.

"Yeah, but that stupid son took them," Zoro said, calming down from his previous anger.

"I'll go get it back for you!" Luffy proposed.

"What?!"

"So if you want your sword, join my crew!" Luffy said with a smile, because even though he didn't want Zoro to feel forced to join due to his impending execution, he had no qualms holding the man's belongings for ransom.

"You're really getting on my nerves!" Zoro shouted again, Luffy feeling that it was true. Not responding, Luffy began running off, hearing the man muttering to himself but not hearing what was said.

"You idiot! The base is in the other direction!" Zoro called over to him, making Luffy skid to a stop and turn around, stretching his arms back and grinning.

"Gum Gum Rocket!" Luffy shouted, arms flying past Zoro, and then his body. He briefly felt Zoro's shock behind him as he rocketed away, making him laugh.

He didn't really know where to go now though, but he did know important people usually were at the top of the tall buildings, so he decided the next course of action would be to go up. After all, that Hemopo guy was important, right? So he would be high up.

Pleased with this logic, Luffy began stretching his arms up, slowly making his way up until he was grabbing onto the tallest part of the building, his body flying upwards.

This high up he could see on top of the building where a large group of marines were standing and a giant statue was being lifted up. He took a quick look at the auras, knowing now was a good time to check them out while he could see them all at once, and noticed that there was someone there with a dark grey, almost black aura, making him frown.

He hadn't been expecting to find someone with such a dark color so soon in his journey, but there was no helping it.

The person also held some darkness in them too which made him uneasy, but he tried not to let it bother him. He knew that people in the East Blue weren't the strongest, and he was confident that he could take this person, whoever they were.

Distracted by his thoughts, Luffy hadn't noticed that he was falling, but instead of landing on the roof with everyone else, he was destined to land back on the ground below him. In an attempt to change direction, Luffy grabbed onto a rope connected to the statue, but as he did it slackened, the statue falling as Luffy pulled himself towards the roof.

Landing safely, he watched with everyone else as the top half of the statue fell off the roof and to the ground below. He felt the shock surrounding him and an underlying fear, but he was too mesmerized by the loud thump as the statue hit the ground.

"Sorry..." He said, more to the marines with the blue aura than the one with the dark grey.

"Seize him! I'm going to kill him!" The man with the dark grey aura screamed, Luffy feeling his anger so strong it very nearly overwhelmed him. He actually stumbled back in shock from it, blinking.

"Woah, that was close." He muttered to himself as he took a few deep breaths.

"Yes, sir! Right away sir!" Within seconds the whole horde of Marines were running at him, but a familiar scent had Luffy running over to Helmeppo who happened to be on the roof.

"Daddy, that's him! He's the one who hit me!" Helmeppo yelled, pointing to Luffy who was right beside him now.

"Oh! It's you!" Luffy said, pleased that he'd found the man so fast. He knew he'd been right about important people being high up.

Helmeppo shrieked in fear at the sight of Luffy so close, trying to run away, but Luffy grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"I've been looking for you! Come with me! There's something I want you to give back!" Luffy told him as he began running away with him in tow.

"Let me go!"

"Helmeppo-sama!"

The shouting grew distant behind him as he ran, dragging the blonde with him.

"Tell me where Zoro's sword is," Luffy said to Helmeppo as he ran down a carpeted hall. He smelled the hall, a scent of tangerines and berri drifting to his nose that told him that red-haired girl was nearby, but yet again, bigger things held his attention.

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Just stop dragging me!" Helmeppo cried, tears running down his face. Luffy immediately came to a stop, dangling the man who went limp.

"Alright! Talk!" Luffy demanded, waiting for the information he needed.

"In my room... We just passed it..." The blonde told him weakly, pointing behind Luffy. A bit irritated by that Luffy sighed.

"What? Why didn't you say so? Now we gotta go back." Luffy said as he turned around, only to find Marines pointing guns at him.

"Freeze!"

"Let Helmeppo-sama go!"

"No," Luffy said simply, holding the man up in front of him and staring blankly at them. The marines held no conviction in them, so when they saw the blonde being held up, they immediately began sweating.

"Go ahead and shoot, If you dare!" Luffy taunted. He was annoyed with this whole island, and these marines were just making things worse. If he could have even a little bit of fun messing with them, he would. After all, he wouldn't let these marines actually hurt the blonde, he would interfere before then.

It wasn't necessary though because, as expected, Helmeppo began squirming, arms flailing in desperation.

"No! Don't!" He shouted, to which Luffy immediately began charging through the marines, all of them moving out of his way to keep from hurting the blonde. Helmeppo practically reeked of fear, and if Luffy wasn't so good at blocking the emotion, he'd be feeling the same way himself.

Running through the hall, Luffy used his sense of smell to find the room seeing as the blonde's emotions had gone muted, telling him the man had passed out. Opening the door he dropped the blonde unceremoniously to the ground, sniffing for anything that smelled like Zoro. The room reeked of perfume which disoriented him a bit, making it harder then it should have been to find the sword, but he did it in the end. He was momentarily confused as to why there were three swords, but they all smelled like Zoro's so he grabbed them before running to the window.

Outside, he could see Coby standing in front of Zoro, staring at the other side of the courtyard where Marines were lined up, pointing guns at him, the man with the dark aura at the forefront. Scowling, Luffy flung the window open, stretching himself back in preparation to land in the courtyard.

Flying through the air, he heard the yell of the man with the dark aura telling the marines to fire, and then the bang of the guns.

He was just in time though, as he landed in front of Coby and beside Zoro, shielding them with his rubber body.

"What are you-"

"Luffy-san!"

"Straw Hat?!"

All at once everyone was shouting, their fear rising within them, but it wasn't necessary as Luffy felt his skin stretch in each spot that held a bullet. He curled in on himself, allowing the pull to become a push and grinning.

"That doesn't work!" Luffy called out as he let the bullet fly back the way they'd come. He could feel everyone's shock and Coby's relief as the boy began trying to untie Zoro. He laughed loudly, unfazed.

"I told you I was strong!" He said more to Coby and Zoro then to the marines.

"W-who the hell are you?!" Zoro asked in disbelief behind him.

"11097; Monkey D. Luffy." The man with the dark aura spoke up before Luffy could answer. Luffy's laughing immediately stopped as he felt another, even stronger, wave of shock coming from everyone but Coby.

_"11097?!"_

"I thought he was a Whitebeard Pirate though!"

"Whats a Whitebeard doing in the East Blue?!"

"I thought you looked familiar. Whats a notorious criminal like you doing here in the East Blue?" The large man asked. Luffy debated on whether he wanted to answer the man or not, still put off by the man's darkness, but decided he may as well. Besides, if he was going to be his own man, form his own crew, he needed people to know that so they wouldn't think he was still apart of Pops' crew.

"I'm starting my own crew," Luffy said, not giving the man any more information than that.

"Oh? Whitebeard let you leave just like that?" The man asked, making Luffy's frown deepen.

"Yeah, he did." He answered.

"Listen up! I, Captain Axe Hand Morgan, am going to take down this demon child here and now!" The man yelled, yet he didn't move to attack him yet, so Luffy decided he wouldn't prepare for a fight just yet.

"No, listen to _me!_ I'm gonna form my own crew, better than Pops', and then I'm gonna become the King of the Pirates, you hear?!" Luffy said, yelling to everyone in the courtyard, wanting everyone to hear his dream.

"King of the Pirates?! Do you know what that means?!" Zoro asked in shock behind him.

"King of the Pirate is King of the Pirates! Are there any other meanings?" Luffy asked with a smile, completely disregarding the marines now in favor of looking at Zoro. Everyone blinked at him, not believing what he was saying, but he didn't understand why. He thought he'd been pretty clear.

"I was shocked, too! But Luffy-san is serious! That's how he is! He intends to become the King of the Pirates and obtain this worlds ultimate treasure... the One Piece!" Coby said with a smile, fists held up in front of himself as he spoke. Luffy gave both Coby and Zoro his famous D grin before grabbing the swords off his back and holding them out to Zoro, despite the fact that the man was tied up still.

"Here's your treasure! Which is yours? They all smelled like you so I brought all three of 'em." Luffy said, still ignoring the shocked Marines.

"Smelled-? All three are mine. I use Three Sword style." Zoro told him, and even though he was confused by what Luffy meant by smelled, he ignored it. For now at least.

"You'll take 'em, right? If we fight together now, you'll be a government-defying villain! Would you prefer that, or being killed by the navy like this?" Luffy asked, because now that the cat was out of the bag with that one, there was no point not mentioning it now.

"What are you, the devil's son?" Zoro asked with a grin, making Luffy laugh.

"I've been told that!" Luffy said honestly, having heard marines, pirates, and even civilians call him much worse than that.

"Well, whatever. I'll be a pirate if I'm gonna die here instead!" Zoro said, still grinning.

"Hooray! So you'll join my crew?!" Luffy asked, arms outstretched in joy at the prospect.

"Alright! Woo-hoo! This is great! Alright!" Luffy continued cheering.

"Okay! Now, untie these stupid ropes already!" Zoro yelled in desperation, all of them remembering now that they had an audience of Marines watching them. Luffy immediately got to work on trying to untie the ropes, noticing distantly that the Marines were talking amongst themselves, but he ignored that.

"Damn! These knots are tight!" Luffy said as he tugged at them, but he swore they were getting tighter, not looser.

"Hey! Quit wastin' time!" Zoro shouted in urgency, noticing that the Marines looked to be preparing themselves again. As expected, the marines all switched out their guns for swords, running at them as Luffy continued tugging.

"Huh, that's weird! It got tighter instead!" Luffy said, rubbing the back of his head as he examined the ropes.

"Give me a damn sword!" Zoro yelled at him.

"Luffy-san!" Coby cried. Looking over now, Luffy saw the incoming swords and quickly gave Zoro a sword of his own.

In an instant, Zoro cut the ropes off and grabbed the rest of the swords, using them to block all of the marines at once.

"So cool!" Luffy said in awe, never having seen someone use three sword style before. He'd seen many swordsmen before, but none like Zoro.

"Move and you're dead," Zoro growled to the marines, making them stiffen in fear.

"Too scary!" One of them cried.

"I'll be a pirate. I promise you that. I'm officially a criminal, now that I've fought the navy. But I'll tell you this right now. I'm only going to fulfill my ambition!" Zoro told Luffy, a cloud passing overhead and shading them momentarily.

"Ambition?" Luffy asked with a smile.

"To be the Worlds Greatest Swordsman! If I wind up having to give that up, you'd better accept responsibility and apologize to me on the end of my sword!" Zoro told him, Luffy feeling his undying conviction again.

"The Worlds Greatest Swordsman? That sounds great!" Luffy said honestly, still smiling.

"The King of the Pirates would need no less than that on his crew!" Luffy told him, making the swordsman grin back.

"You sure talk big. At this point, whether it's as a criminal or whatever else, I will spread my name throughout the world!" Zoro shouted through his sword.

"What're you standing around for?! Slaughter them this instant!" The marines shrieked in terror at Morgan's words while Luffy's grin turned more deadly.

"Duck, Zoro!" Luffy told his new crewmate, swinging his foot back.

"Gum Gum Whip!" There was only a brief second of shock from Zoro before he did as told, Luffy's leg whipping over him and knocking over the marines he'd been holding back.

"Y-you did it! Incredible!" Coby cheered from behind Luffy.

"What the hell are you?" Zoro asked Luffy, standing back up.

"I ate the gum gum fruit," Luffy said, kicking his leg back and forth to stretch it out.

"Gum gum fruit?" Zoro asked in confusion, sword still held in his mouth.

"A rubber person!"

"Captain! We don't stand a chance against them!"

"These guys are crazy!"

"We can't even handle Zoro by himself, much less a Whitebeard pirate and one of the demon trio!"

"This is a direct order!" Morgan shouted, drawing Luffy, Zoro and Coby's attention back to him.

"Everyone who spouted weakness just now... must shoot themselves in the head! I have no need for weakling soldiers!" Morgan ordered, much to Luffy's dislike.

"These troops are mental!" Zoro said as he crouched back down in a fighting position.

"Luffy-san!" Coby shouted behind Zoro, but before the man could look, his new Captain ran past him and towards the marines faster then he could blink.

"Crush this navy!" Coby shouted to the straw-hatted pirate.

Running through the Marines, Luffy ran right towards Morgan, scowling as he stretched his arm behind him and swung it forward. The Captain blocked it with his large axe hand, but he obviously wasn't expecting Luffy to be as strong as he was, because with a burst of armament haki, Luffy cracked the axe, and then it shattered into pieces right then and there.

The marines stared on in shock while Luffy felt the Captain's anger fill again. Angry himself, Luffy felt it double as Morgans anger influenced his own, and he pushed his fist through the shattered remains of the axe and into Morgan's chest, sending him flying backward.

"Hold it Straw Hat!" Helmeppo shouted from behind him before he could stalk after the Captain who was getting back up.

"I said hold it! Pay attention! I have a hostage here!" Luffy was tempted to ignore the man, his anger pounding in his ears and muffling the man's words. The blind rage he felt nearly made him go forward to continue beating up Morgan, but Zoro's voice stopped him.

"Hey." The simple word made the anger drain away, like whenever Ace or Sabo would talk softly to him in their understanding tone, waiting for his anger to dispel.

Turning, Luffy finally took in the gun that was being held to Coby's head and stared.

"If you value this guy's life, don't move! One move and I'll shoot!" Helmeppo shouted to him. Luffy continued staring for another minute, feeling Cobys fear, and smiled. Coby blinked in surprise before a resolve filled him.

"Luffy-san! I don't want to get in your way! Even if it means dying!" Coby shouted, genuinely meaning his words.

"Yeah, I know! Give it up stupid son! Coby really is ready to die!" Luffy said, holding his bicep as he began walking towards Coby and Helmeppo, smiling still.

"Don't move! I told you not to move! I-I'll shoot!" Helmeppo shouted, and even though Luffy could feel Morgan's presence behind him, he ignored it.

"Gum gum..."

"I am Navy Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan!"

"Dad! Kill him, quick!"

_"...Pistol!"_

All at once, Luffy threw his punch at Helmeppo, knocking the blonde into the wall on the other side of the courtyard, while Zoro slashed through Morgan who had attempted beheading Luffy with one of the soldiers' swords seeing as his axe had been busted by the teen earlier.

"Nice! Zoro." Luffy said, arm snapping back in place.

"My pleasure, Captain," Zoro said, the two grinning to each other.

"Captain Morgan's been defeated."

"Unbelievable!"

"These guys are insane!"

"If anyone still wants to catch us, come forward," Zoro called to the Marines, but Luffy felt there was no need for that because instead of fear, there was a relief throughout the Marines that told the teen the Captain was every bit the bad guy he'd thought he was.

"Hooray!"

"We're free!"

"Yahoo!"

"Morgans reign of terror is over!"

"Hooray for the Navy!"

Weapons and hats were thrown in the air, marines started dancing with each other, and Luffy felt a giant wave of happiness finally overtake the fear and nervousness that had been so prevalent since he'd reached this island.

"Everyone's happy they're Captains been beaten?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Everyone was just afraid of Morgan!" Coby said gleefully as if it all made sense now.

Zoro suddenly twitched and then fell onto his back, Coby freaking out while Luffy watched, feeling that Zoro was still awake, and not in too much pain.

"What's wrong Zoro-san?! Are you hurt?!" Coby asked as he rushed over to the man.

"I'm... hungry..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is finished and Zoro is now a part of the crew!
> 
> In writing this story I've been going back and rewatching One Piece from the beginning and boy is it a shock to see the start of Luffy's adventure again after all this time. I've read a few stories like this one where Luffy starts his adventure over for one reason or another, but its one thing to read another persons interpretation of the events and its another to see them again.
> 
> Anyway, some notes about this chapter. While I stuck mostly to cannon, there were some things I knew I wanted to add, such as the scene in the beginning where Coby realizes who Luffy is. There were also more subtle changes like Luffy breaking Morgans axe because of how much stronger he is in this story compared to original cannon.
> 
> Oh, and while Luffy's wanted poster still says 'Alive Only', Morgan was really intending to execute Luffy. I feel like he's power hungry enough and so full of himself that he would completely disregard the higher ups decision to want Luffy Alive and would still try and kill him.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thank you all so much for the response on the first one, it really motivated me to sit down and edit this chapter despite all of me wanting to go ahead and write other future chapters. Seeing all the Kudos and Comments really made this whole chaos of the Corona Virus a little more uplifting.
> 
> So, with that said, thank you all for your kudos, bookmarks, subscriptions and comments! They mean the world to me!
> 
> Let the countdown to the next chapter begin!


	3. Onward to Orange Town!

"I'm stuffed! I was definitely at my ropes end, having not eaten for three weeks!" Zoro said with a smile, leaning back in his chair.

"Huh? You're finished already?" Luffy asked, pulling his fork out of his mouth.

"How the heck can you have a bigger appetite than me?!" Zoro asked, pointing to the stacks of dishes beside the straw-hatted teen, eyebrow raised in disbelief. Zoro had literally been starving after all, and Luffy was still eating as if he'd been the one to go weeks without meals.

"It tastes good! Right, Coby?" Luffy asked the pink-haired boy who sat at the bar where Rika's mother was smiling and cleaning dishes. Rika was nearby as well, carrying dirty dishes from the table Luffy and Zoro sat at and bringing them to her mother.

"Thank you for treating me to food, too..." Coby said, rubbing the back of his head as he addressed Rika's mom. She smiled at him, continuing to clean.

"Its no problem! The town has been saved after all!" She said cheerfully.

"You really are amazing!" Rika said to Luffy with a wide smile, Luffy smiling back as he allowed the happy feelings to sink into him.

"Yep, I am! And I'm gonna be even more amazing! 'Cause I'm gonna be King of the Pirates! And I even have a crew!" Luffy said, looking to Zoro who was still lounging in his chair as he listened, waiting on Luffy to finish eating. Hearing the teen's words, he smiled.

"So, how many others have you gathered besides me?" He asked, watching Luffy take another large bite of meat. Luffy gave him a blank look and Zoro raised another eyebrow.

"You said you were in the middle of gathering a crew. To be the King of the Pirates, you must have a good number gathered." He said matter of factly. Removing his fork, Luffy pointed to the green-haired man with it.

"Just you." He said simply.

"Huh?! Then..." Zoro pointed between the two of them in shock and Luffy nodded.

"Yep! Just us two!" Luffy confirmed.

"We're gonna call just us two a pirate crew?!" Zoro asked, expression evening out again.

"What's wrong with that? We're strong!" Luffy replied, as if that made everything better. Besides, you had to start somewhere.

"What about a ship? Wheres your pirate ship?" Zoro asked, leaning on the table.

"There." Luffy pointed out the window to the boat he and Coby had arrived on and Zoro moved to the window to look himself.

_"That?"_

"We'll have a ship this big before long!" Luffy exclaimed optimistically, stretching his arms out in demonstration of how big he wanted his future ship to be. Zoro laughed.

"And hows that?" He asked, Luffy's smile never wavering despite the swordsman's skepticism.

"And I'd like a pirate flag, too! Yeah! Yeah, yeah! So cool!" Luffy said to himself, ignoring Zoro completely. Zoro rubbed his forehead, wondering what he'd gotten himself into. Meanwhile, Coby spoke up.

"I think Luffy-san was born without any sense of planning." He said with a nervous chuckle.

"Did I really make this guy my Captain?!" Zoro asked himself, Luffy continuing to eat with a smile as if he didn't hear, or realize, what was being talked about.

"Well, we'll get more crew members before long!" He said with a laugh.

"Hey, hey! Where are you guys gonna go now?" Rika asked, still standing beside Luffy.

"Isn't it obvious?! Paradise!" Luffy said, the occupants in the room looking at him in confusion.

"Paradise?" Zoro asked, wondering if that was an island he'd never heard of.

"Ah, right, the Grand Line!" Luffy said, correcting himself.

"How did you mix up the Grand Line with Paradise?! Besides, you still only have two crewmembers! There's no way you could go there! No way! No way! _No way!_ " Coby shouted, spitting his juice out in shock from where he sat behind Luffy at the bar. Everyone turned to watch him, wondering if he was done yelling.

"Is the Grand Line that terrible of a place?" Rika asked.

"Naturally!"

"Nah, not really." Both Coby and Luffy answered at the same time. Zoro raised an eyebrow at the two, sitting back down to listen seeing as things were getting interesting. He had almost forgotten that Luffy was 11097, a former Whitebeard Pirate, and had been to the Grand Line before. Sure, his new Captain may be a bit spontaneous, and possibly stupid, but he was at least experienced in comparison to him.

"What do you mean it's not?! It's the pirate's graveyard for a reason!" Coby shouted to Luffy, sweating just at the thought of the infamous sea.

"Sure, but it's not as bad as the New World. It's only bad if you don't know what you're doing." Luffy said with a nonchalant shrug.

"The New World? Luffy-san, sometimes I forget you've sailed the Grand Line before..." Coby said, wilting as he remembered that small fact.

"Guess it can't be helped," Zoro said, leaning back in his chair with a grin, prepared to take on whatever challenges they faced.

"Not you too, Zoro-san!" Coby moaned out, sweating again.

"What's it matter? You're not going, are you?" Zoro asked the pink-haired kid, wondering why he was getting so worked up.

"N-no, but I'm worried about you! Is that so wrong?" Coby asked with a frown.

"Luffy-san and I haven't known each other long, and I was a bit scared of him when I found out he was 11097, but we are friends! Right?" Coby asked as if he'd overstepped a boundary and was worried what Luffy would say in response.

"Yeah! We're gonna part ways, but we'll always be friends!" Luffy said with a wide smile. Coby looked surprised at his words for a moment before he smiled to the ground.

"Since I was a little kid, I've never had friends... Much less anyone who would fight for my sake..." He said softly.

"But more than anything, I never tried to fight for anything..." He continued, everyone watching him in silence.

"But you two taught me how to live for my beliefs! I've decided to make my childhood dream come true! I want to join the Navy!" Coby finished, holding his fists up in determination.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself, then?" Zoro asked.

"Even if you were just a chore boy, you did spend two years on Alvida's pirate ship," Zoro said, having heard about how Coby had come to join Luffy on this journey while they were eating.

"Don't underestimate the Marines info-gathering skills. If they find out about that, you'll never get to join." Zoro said as if it were obvious. Coby stared with wide eyes, realizing this as well.

"N-now that you mention it..."

"Pardon me!" The door opened, cutting Coby off, and they looked to see a crowd of Marines standing at the door, one of them walking into the room with them.

"You're 11097, Monkey D. Luffy, correct? And you've joined him, Pirate Hunter Zoro?" The Marine asked, arms behind his back as he stood tall.

"Yup," Luffy responded, eyeing the man and wondering what he would do about it. The marine was confident in himself, but his emotions didn't give way to what he was planning on doing which made Luffy weary. He wasn't exactly on friendly terms with the marines after all.

"We appreciate that you saved our base and this town from that tyrant. However, now that we know both of you are confirmed pirates, in the name of the Marines, we cannot stand by quietly!" He said, people crowding at the window to see what was going on. Luffy and Zoro stood, the two of them ready to fight if necessary, and the Marine looked to them rather than at the ground as he'd been doing before.

"You will leave this town at once! Out of obligation, we will refrain from contacting headquarters of the fact that there is a so-called former Whitebeard Pirate forming his own crew." He said to them, Luffy feeling the mans resolve.

"Hey, marine guy! How can you talk like that?!"

"Even you guys were subdued and terrified of Morgan!"

"We owe these people our lives!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" The people outside all began shouting in outrage, all of them feeling strongly that what the Marine had said was wrong. Rika was frowning in worry but neither she nor her mother said anything as they watched on. Luffy, who had had a blank face this entire time, grinned.

"Well, guess we should go! Thanks for the food lady!" Luffy said, turning to address Rika's mother like Sabo had taught him, a bag of food hanging over his shoulder. He had left his other bag back on their ship.

"You guys are leaving already?" Rika asked sadly.

"Yeah," Luffy said, nodding to her and beginning to walk out with Zoro.

"Aren't you part of their crew?" The Marine asked Coby who had remained standing where he was.

"Eh? I... I'm..." Luffy stopped in the doorway and frowned, head turned to Coby as he took in the boys nervousness, fear, conviction. He was about to walk out again when the Marine stopped him.

"Hold it! Well? Is he?!" The Marine asked, and after a second of thought, Luffy grinned, turning to look at the Marine.

"I know what he's done until now." He said cheerily, feeling a bubble of betrayal coming from Coby, but ignoring the ugly emotion as the boy turned to look at him in shock.

"There was this _reaaally_ fat pirate lady, I think her name was Ahiruda." Luffy began, arms stretched at his sides to try and imitate just how big the woman was while Zoro watched from the doorway.

"Luffy-san!" Coby said in shock, sweating.

"And she had this iron club. Man, she was an ugly hag! And for two whole years, this guy was her-" Luffy, who had walked up beside Coby and began poking the boy in the head, was cut off when Coby's emotions suddenly grew stronger, a wave of fear and courage coursing through him as he turned and swung a punch into Luffy's jaw, shocking Rika and her mother, as well as the Marines.

Realizing what he'd done, Coby stared at Luffy in shock, noticing the teen was grinning.

"Now you've done it, you bastard!" Luffy called, pulling back and returning a punch of his own.

"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" Luffy shouted as he beat up the boy, grinning the entire time.

"Stop that! We won't allow you to cause any more trouble in this town!" The Marine shouted though he didn't make a move to stop Luffy.

"Oi! You've gone too far. That's enough." Zoro said, grabbing onto the back of Luffy vest and pulling him away from the battered pink-haired boy who fell to the ground.

"It's very clear that you guys aren't crewmates! Now leave this town at once!" The Marine shouted as he pointed at them. Luffy, still grinning, stood up and readjusted his straw hat on his head, leaving the building with Zoro. He could feel an understanding coming from Coby, all feeling of betrayal leaving.

Both Zoro and Luffy walked through the crowd outside and headed to the docks where their small boat was waiting for them, no one stopping them as they did.

"That was a pretty lame tactic. Wouldn't be surprised if they saw through it." Zoro said as they walked.

"Coby'll handle the rest on his own. I just know it." Luffy said with a smile. As they got closer to the docks, the smell of the ocean got stronger, but with it, an underlying smell of tangerines and berri that made Luffy frown.

Was that lady following them or something?

"It's a nice way to leave though. Being unable to turn back 'cause everyone hates you. Its pirate-like!" Zoro said, interrupting Luffys musings as they reached their boat.

"That's true!" Luffy said, smiling and laughing as he forgot about his previous thoughts and removed the loop of rope holding the boat to the dock.

"Luffy-san!" Coby's scent drifted over to Luffy and both he and Zoro turned to find both the boy and Rika and her mother standing behind them. Seeing he had their attention, Coby saluted them, standing up tall and straight as he did.

"Thank you! I'll never forget all you've done for me!" Coby shouted to them, Luffy and Zoro grinning as he did.

"I've never heard of a pirate being thanked by a marine..." Zoro said, making Luffy laugh. Zoro's words reminded him of when he and his brothers had seen Garp again for the first time since they'd gotten out of the facility and how the man had thanked Whitebeard for rescuing them.

Getting onto the boat and setting the sail, Luffy turned and waved to Coby.

"Let's meet again sometime, Coby!" He shouted, watching Coby as he continued saluting and Rika waved back.

"Bye!" Rika shouted back, and Luffy could see Coby's lips move, but couldn't hear what he said.

"All hands, salute!" A crowd of marines appeared behind the group and they all saluted as Luffy and Zoro drifted out of the docks and onto the sea.

"See ya!" Luffy called with a laugh.

Marines sucked, but those guys were ok.

**_/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_ **

"Alright! Our pirate crew finally sets sail!" Luffy said as he stood at the bow, Zoro smiling where he sat on the ground behind him.

"Looks like some pretty good adventure'll be waiting for us," Zoro said, Luffy feeling the man's happiness and excitement, matching his own. He laughed before staring at the ocean in determination.

"I will become King of the Pirates!" He said, voice tamer then it had been before. Zoro raised an eyebrow at that, leaning forward slightly.

"You really seem obsessed about this King of the Pirates thing. Is there some sorta reason for it?" He asked in curiosity.

"No reason. It's just..." He trailed off, smiling fondly.

"It's just?" Zoro prodded.

"I swore to a certain man that... someday I would gather a great crew, find the world's greatest treasure, and become King of the Pirates!" Luffy told him, remembering the promise to Shanks from so long ago, holding onto his hat that was on his head.

"This hat knows." He said, looking up to the sky now.

"I see..." Zoro said with a smile, also looking to the sky.

"Alright! Let's go! Set sail for the Grand Line!" Luffy shouted into the sunset, laughing in excitement.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

Some time had passed since they'd left the Marine base island and Luffy was leaning over the side of their boat, stomach growling.

"I'm starving..." He moaned out.

"When the hell're we gonna reach land?" Zoro asked from where he sat.

"Who knows. We're just going with the wind and waves after all... I wonder if we'll reach land... Nah, I'm sure we will, sometime." Luffy moaned out, not moving from his spot over the railing. He could feel an annoyance rising in Zoro.

"Isn't it kind of weird that someone tryin' to be King of the Pirates doesn't even have any navigation skills?! Besides, I thought you were apart of the Whitebeards for a while! How didn't you pick up any navigating skills at all?" Zoro asked, still not sure how he felt about that little tidbit. It was one thing to hear about pirates like the Whitebeards, but another completely to meet one of them. To have a former Whitebeard pirate as his Captain was a bit daunting.

"It's not weird, I just drift around. And everyone back on the Moby tried to teach me how to sail and stuff, but I didn't get it. Sabo's better at understanding that kind of thing then I am." Luffy said, eyes trailing onto the boat towards where his bag sat, a mini den den resting inside it, ready for him to pick up and call the Moby at any time.

"But anyway, aren't you a bounty hunter who wandered the high seas?" Luffy asked as he now turned his head to look at Zoro, still dangling over the railing.

"I have no memory of ever calling myself a bounty hunter. I set off onto the sea in search of a certain man... but then couldn't get back to my village. I had no choice, so I just went after pirate ships to earn a living." He told Luffy, looking to the sky as he did.

"Oh, so you're just lost." Luffy deadpanned, feeling the irritation rise in Zoro at his words.

"Don't put it like that!" Zoro shouted, kicking the boat and rocking it. The straw hat on Luffy's head bounced as the wind picked it up from off his head, and the trusty string Izo had tied to it unraveled for the first time in the three years since it'd first been tied. In shock, Luffy watched as the hat began sailing into the air and towards the sails. It went up and over it, both Luffy and Zoro running over to the bow of the ship as they attempted to guess where it would land, and thankfully, Zoro was able to grab it out of the air right before it fell into the water.

There was a joint sigh of relief as Zoro handed the hat back over to Luffy and he put it on his head again, frowning at the two untied strings.

"It came undone." He said with a small pout.

"What, it hasn't done that before?" Zoro asked as he went to go sit back down.

"No! Izo tied it for me years ago and it was fine." Luffy whined as he went to join Zoro on the ground.

"So just retie it," Zoro said with a shrug, not seeing why it was a big deal. Luffy frowned again at that, holding the hat in his hands now as he examined the strings.

"You can tie it again, can't you?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow. Luffy looked up at him with wide, unblinking eyes, before grinning and laughing sheepishly.

"Gimme that!" Zoro said with another irritated sigh as he held his hand out for the hat. Luffy looked between Zoro's hand and then his hat for a minute before conceding and handing the precious item over.

"Geez, you can't navigate, and you can't tie knots. What _can_ you do?" Zoro asked as he tied the two strings together, Luffy watching his every move carefully.

"Fight! Oh, and eat!" Luffy exclaimed with a grin, making Zoro roll his eyes as he handed the hat back over to its owner.

"Thanks, Zoro!" He said with a wider smile than before, putting the hat on his head and looking at the two, once again, tied strings.

"So that hats pretty important to you then, huh?" Zoro asked as he observed how careful Luffy was with the object.

"Yeah," Luffy said as he pulled on the edges of it. There was a brief moment of silence before Zoro asked something that had been bugging him for a while.

"So you're 11097, then? That kid who escaped a mental hospital a while ago and has a bounty of 350,000,000?" He asked. Everyone had heard about it, even him seeing as he'd made a living off turning in pirates. He'd seen Luffy's bounty poster a few times but hadn't gone after him seeing as he stayed strictly within the East Blue.

Back when the news of numbered children having escaped was big, even he had been suspected of being one of them until the marines checked his wrist and found no such number. Looking at his new Captain, the tattooed number on the inside of his wrist practically confirmed him of being the kid in question.

"Yes. Wait, no." Luffy said, confusing Zoro.

"Yes or no?" He asked, wondering how Luffy could get confused. It had been a simple question.

"Yes, I am 11097, but I didn't escape a mental hospital. That's just what the marines told everyone to... what did Ace and Sabo say? Save feet?" Luffy asked, trying to remember how his brothers had phrased it. Zoro looked at him, his confusion clear on his face before he realized what Luffy might be trying to say.

"Save face?" He asked, Luffy grinning and nodding.

"Yeah, that! It wasn't a mental hospital we escaped, it was a facility." Luffy said as if it were obvious.

"A facility?" Zoro questioned, making Luffy frown as he realized this was probably going to keep happening. Every time he got a new crewmember it would be natural for them to wonder about the things Marines had said about him, and he didn't want them to have any misconceptions about him.

It didn't mean it wasn't annoying though.

"A facility is a government-run place. Ace, Sabo and I all escaped it after we were held there for seven years. It's a bad place." Luffy said, his voice dark as he explained it to his swordsman.

"What's so bad about it?" Zoro asked, wanting to know more. He didn't like the sounds of it already, and from the looks of it, Luffy didn't like the memories of it, but he couldn't help but be curious.

"Everything. Everything about it is bad. I'm not some crazy kid that the Marines were trying to help, and neither are the other kids who got out. We escaped, and the marines were scared we'd say something so they tried to get us all back, but they couldn't cause the Whitebeards helped us stay safe. That's what Sabo said anyways; I didn't pay a lot of attention to what the Marines said in the papers about us." Luffy said, looking back to the sky. Zoro realized he probably wasn't going to get anything more out of his Captain on that subject, so he dropped it, trusting that his Captain wasn't actually crazy like the marines said he was.

Maybe he only did that because he was going to be sailing with the man from now on and he didn't want to admit he may have intentionally agreed to follow a mentally unstable person.

"So you were apart of the Whitebeard Pirates, then?" He asked instead, Luffy's somber mood lifting as he grinned again.

"Yeah! It took us a month after the facility, but we joined them because they're good guys!" Luffy said with a laugh, his words holding more weight then Zoro was realizing.

"And Whitebeard just let you leave to start a crew of your own?" The swordsman asked, finding it a bit hard to believe, but Luffy laughed again.

"Yup! Pops said he didn't care what I did, as long as I was happy. Everyone really wanted me to stay with them, but I'd promised I'd be King of the Pirates, and I couldn't do that being apart of someone else's crew!" Luffy said to Zoro who smiled, agreeing with Luffy's words. A stomach rumbled and Luffy moaned, remembering how hungry he was.

"Man, I'm hungry..." He groaned as he held his stomach and looked to the sky again. Zoro sighed, having heard this multiple times already and wondering how the teen could be hungry after eating everything they had only a little while ago. Not to mention the large amount of food he'd eaten back on the Marine base Island.

"A bird..." Luffy said, making him look up to see what his Captain was seeing. A grin spread across Luffy's face as he looked to Zoro.

"Let's eat it!" He exclaimed.

"Huh? How?" Zoro asked, the bird having been high up in the sky.

"Leave it to me!" Luffy said as he stood and stretched his arms back, flinging them forward and grabbing onto the rigging.

"Gum Gum Rocket!" With that, the teen launched into the sky, straight towards the bird in question.

"I see..." Zoro said with a raised eyebrow, having forgotten about Luffy's devil fruit. He watched as his Captain grew smaller as he got higher up before he stopped, level with the bird. He squinted, wondering how his body was lower than the birds, yet he wasn't moving down anymore.

"Help!" Luffy's voice called, and it was then he realized his new Captain was caught in the bird's mouth.

"Moron! What the hell're you doing?!" Zoro shouted as he began rowing as fast as he could.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

Luffy watched as the sea drifted by below him, the bird not stopping as it continued flying. He remained still and allowed himself to be carried, a bored look on his face as he waited for something to happen.

Finally, after a few minutes of the bird flying, Luffy saw an island below them and grinned.

"Oi, bird, let me down now!" He shouted, becoming annoyed quickly when he still couldn't get his head unstuck from the bird's mouth. Try as he might though, it was for naught, legs flailing as he tried pulling the bird's mouth open.

They were midway over the island when Luffy saw something heading their way and he began flailing harder.

"Bird! Bird, let me down!" He shouted, but it was too late as a cannonball hit them, exploding and forcing the bird to let go of Luffy. He screamed, flailing as he began plummeting to the ground, and before he knew it he was crashing into the stone pavement, a giant dust cloud forming.

"W-what?!" A woman's voice asked in surprise, Luffy vaguely noting that that familiar scent of tangerines and berri was back.

"What the-?!" Another voice asked, this time a male.

"A person fell from the sky!" Another man said in shock.

"Damnit! What are cannonballs flying at me for?!" Luffy asked in annoyance as he stood from the ground, the dust cloud dissipating around him.

"But now I'm safe! That was a pretty neat experience that I had!" He said, holding onto his hat as he looked around, taking in the shock and surprise surrounding him. There were three guys behind him, most likely pirates by their looks, and in front of him was the woman that had continued popping up wherever he went.

"Hey, you! Have you been following me?!" Luffy accused as he pointed to the red-haired girl who was staring at him in shock. There was a moment where the girl was confused by his words, before she was suddenly confident, a grin forming on her face.

"Of course boss! I've got the map as promised! Sorry, but I've gotta go now!" She said to him, running off before Luffy could ask her any more questions.

"Hey, the girl got away!"

"That's ok, her boss is still here!"

"Ah, tryin' ta cover for your crony, huh?!" Luffy turned, still confused as to what was happening. His stomach growled and he held it with a frown.

"Say, is there any place to eat around here?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A much shorter chapter than normal, and probably going to be my shortest chapter for a while. I hope everyone's doing well with all the chaos in the world right now, and I hope that this update was able to brighten some of your days like you guys brighten mine!
> 
> This chapter was more of a filler chapter and seeing as its so short- as well as the fact that I'm now home indefinitely with this virus going around- I am hoping to get another chapter out soon. I don't know if I'll be able to manage it, but I'm hoping I'll be able to! If I can, it'll be out next week. If I'm not able to do it though, updates will continue as normal.
> 
> So, a little about this chapter. There's not too much to say seeing as it's stuck mostly to canon, but we'll be seeing Buggy in the next chapter! I know there's a bit of a mixed response on the clown- some people love him, some people despise him. I don't mind his character too much, I think he's funny at times, and as for his part in this story, it'll stick mostly to what we've seen in canon. Unlike other characters, I don't really see him playing any big part in this, even if he will be showing up a few more times in the future.
> 
> So, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Stay safe, stay healthy, and I hope to see you all again next week with another chapter! If not, two weeks!


	4. Nami: The Thief That Steals From Pirates!

"Say, is there any place to eat around here?" Luffy asked, holding his stomach as it rumbled. After all the work he'd gone through to get that bird, and here he was, still without food.

"Quit screwin' around kid!" One of the men in front of him shouted, swinging a fist in an attempt to punch him. Luffy was warned by both his haki as well as the man's sudden anger and was able to easily back-bend out of the way, the punch gliding safely over him. The fist went a little too far forward, however, and the man's hand collided with Luffy's hat, sending it flying back.

Luckily, the string Zoro had retied earlier for him kept it from falling off, instead lightly tugging around Luffy's neck as it attempted to fall, but failed. Anger overtook Luffy as he straightened again, placing the hat back onto his head as he glared at the man who'd hit it.

"Don't touch my treasure!" He shouted, reeling back his own fist back and punching the man, sending him flying.

"Bastard!" The two others shouted in unison, pulling out sabers and running towards Luffy.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy called, sending both of his fists forward and hitting the two before they reached him. The two fists landed squarely on their faces, knocking them both out and sending them crumbling to the ground.

Luffy watched them a second, taking in the mutedness of their emotions until he was satisfied that they were down for now. A breeze blew past him and he smelled that ever-present smell of berri and tangerines that had been following him constantly, and he turned his head to look towards where the smell was coming from.

On top of the roof of the building beside him, he saw the orange-haired girl from before peeking down at him with wide eyes. She'd had a bit of worry in her, but once she saw the two knocked out thugs, she calmed, and instead, greed filled her.

"Wow! You're really strong!" She called to him once she noticed he had spotted her. She jumped down to the balcony of the building while Luffy continued staring, still not sure how he felt about the woman.

"You beat people with sabers barehanded!" She elaborated.

"You never answered my question from before," Luffy told her, ignoring the other comments because he was still curious about whether this woman was following him or not. Had the Whitebeards sent her to watch him? He didn't know how likely that was- they knew how much he didn't want help or assistance- but he also knew how worried they all were about him.

"What do you mean?" She asked in confusion, remembering that the teen had asked her something, but she'd been too caught up in getting away from the pirates that she hadn't really been listening.

"Are you following me?" Luffy clarified, crossing his arms over his chest as he eyed her. She furrowed her eyebrows at him and put her hands on her hips.

"Following you? We've never met before, why would I follow you?" She asked, wondering how he'd come to that conclusion.

"You were there at that lady pirates ship, Alduma, and then again at that Marine Base Island," Luffy told her, only confusing the woman further. He hadn't felt any lies from her previous statement, but she also hadn't denied following him yet either.

"Alduma? Do you mean Alvida? You were there too? And the Marine Base Island... wait- _are you following me?!"_ She asked in irritation. Luffy could feel that this woman clearly hadn't known he'd been at the same places as him so he smiled.

"Nah, never mind. Anyways, who are you?" He asked, previous misgivings gone now as he realized it really had just been a coincidence.

"I'm a thief who steals from pirates. My names Nami, what about you?" She asked, leaning forward on the balcony railing as she officially introduced herself. Luffy could feel a bit of cautiousness in Nami, telling him that she wasn't as comfortable around him as she'd been moments ago, but he had just told her they were at the same places at the same time and apparently he'd been the only one to notice.

"Me? I'm Monkey D. Luffy, nice to meet you!" He greeted with his D smile. He could feel a recognition now, but also a turmoil like she didn't know _how_ she recognized it.

"Monkey D. Luffy? That names familiar, but why?" She asked, more to herself than to Luffy. He was about to answer her when his stomach growled again, reminding him once more of his hunger.

"Oh, I just remembered. I'm starving..." He said as he held his stomach. Nami was snapped from her musings at Luffy's words and she jumped down from the balcony.

"Why don't I treat you to some food?" She asked with a smile, and even though she was still wary of Luffy, he could feel that she wasn't as cautious as before.

"Really?!" Luffy asked as he beamed at her, shocking her with his sudden enthusiasm.

"Y-yeah..." She replied, stepping away a step at how eager the teen was.

"Yosh! Let's go!" Luffy cheered, letting Nami walk in front of him to lead the way. They walked down the street, neither of them talking as they did, and eventually they stopped in front of a house, Nami letting them in. Luffy was quick to beeline to the table, sitting while Nami went to the fridge and began digging around in it.

Soon enough, a sandwich was placed in front of Luffy and he ate it all in one bite, Nami watching with slightly wider eyes than normal from where she sat on the edge of the table.

"Yum! Do you live alone in this house?" Luffy asked, looking to Nami as he spoke.

"I don't live in this town. Everyone here ran away because of Buggy." She told him, eyes still wide, and Luffy felt no lies from her statements.

"Then you're a sneak thief."

"How rude!" Nami exclaimed indignantly.

"I'm a thief who only steals from pirates! Don't compare me to scumbag sneak thieves!" She chastised, clutching a roll of paper tightly in her hand.

"But a thiefs a thief," Luffy said plainly despite the woman's irritation.

"My goal is to earn 100 million berries, no matter what it takes." She said, looking off towards the wall and standing up straighter.

"What do you need that much for?" The straw-hatted teen asked because 100 million was a lot of money.

"Its a secret! But with a map of the Grand Line, 100 million is a real possibility!" She said, turning away from Luffy who began eating from the basket of bread on the table. He looked to the woman's back, feeling that deep hatred rumbling in her from before, but he couldn't figure out what it was directed towards.

Normally, it was easy to figure out who people were directing their emotions towards. Luffy didn't exactly know how he did it, but it was like a sixth sense. When someone felt love, he could feel that it was directed towards their child or happiness towards a gift. With Nami though, he couldn't feel that. The hatred she felt was tied into the words she was saying, and it definitely had something to do with this secret, but Luffy couldn't figure out exactly what it was.

"A map? Are you a navigator?!" Luffy asked after a moment of trying to decipher the mystery being presented to him but having no luck. Nami turned to face him, grinning again.

"Much more skilled than your average navigator!" She boasted, Luffy feeling her confidence and believing her words.

"Oh, that's perfect! Do you wanna be our navigator?!" He asked, standing from his chair and smiling widely.

"Really?" She asked, leaning forward on the table with a wider smile now.

"Yeah! Our new pirate crew member!" Luffy exclaimed, arms out wide in excitement. There was a sudden shift in the woman's emotions from greedy and happy to angry and hateful.

"No!" She suddenly exclaimed, making Luffy frown.

"So you're a pirate?" She asked, standing straight again.

"Yeah. I swore to the person who gave me this straw hat that I'd gather a crew and become a pirate!" He said, smiling as he took his hat off and stared at it. Nami slammed her hands back on the table causing the plate on it to clatter and bounce.

"There's nothing I hate more in this world than pirates! I only like money and tangerines!" She said fiercely, Luffy only frowning and blinking to her as he put his hat back on.

The hatred was back again, stronger than before, and the truth in her words deterred Luffy from pushing the subject anymore. As much as he wanted- and needed- a navigator, he could feel just how much Nami despised pirates, so he wouldn't force her to join them.

After all, if a doctor from the facility asked him to join them, he would adamantly refuse too.

"I should have known someone strong like you was a pirate. Just my luck." Nami said to herself as she gripped the map tighter in her fist, and then it slackened, her eyes widening.

"W-wait a second. Monkey D. Luffy? As in 11097?" She asked, finally recognizing the name now. She'd seen both the bounty poster and the news about the boy over the years, and it had still taken her this long to click the pieces into place. To be fair, however, the last report on 11097 and his brothers mentioned that they had been deep into the Grand Line, so it wasn't as if she was expecting him to pop up here in the East Blue.

"Oh, you know me too?" Luffy asked, sitting back down and resuming his eating. The fear and nervousness were beginning to be a usual occurrence now that Luffy was willingly outing himself to people in the East Blue, and he knew he should get used to it, but he couldn't.

 _"Know of you?!_ Everyone knows about the kids that escaped from the mental hospital years ago! The Marines have been after you ever since, but you joined the Whitebeard Pirates!" She exclaimed, standing a good few feet away from him now, eyes glancing to the door as she contemplated running out.

"It wasn't a mental hospital. Geez, does everyone think that?" Luffy asked, stopping in his eating momentarily, annoyed that he had to keep correcting everyone.

"What do you mean? The news said-"

"The Marines lied. My brothers and I escaped a facility, not a mental hospital. Pops saved us and kept us safe because the Marines tried taking us back." Luffy told her, resuming in his eating once more.

Seeing that the teen wasn't attacking her, she calmed slightly, though she was still ready to bolt from the room at any second.

"Facility?" She asked, curious.

"A bad place run by the government. We escaped and the Marines were worried we'd tell people about it so they started trying to capture us all again." Luffy explained briefly, frowning as he ate. Nami said nothing now, trying to figure out if she was being lied to or not.

"Aren't you a Whitebeard Pirate though? What are you doing in the East Blue? Whitebeard doesn't have any claim here." She said next, her body still tensed in preparation to flee. Luffy nodded in answer.

"I'm not here for Pops. I left the crew to start my own." He said, and even though Nami was curious about that, wondering if that was even allowed, she heard shouting outside.

Walking over to the window- still wary of Luffy- she peeked out and saw two of Buggy's goons standing on the street below, talking about her and how they'd yet to find her. Her eyes drifted back over to Luffy who was finishing up the bread and smiled, figuring out how she could use him to his advantage.

The sudden greed from the girl overpowered her fear and nervousness as she walked back over to the straw-hatted teen.

"Well, I might consider joining as your navigator if you agree to consider conditions!" Nami said cheerfully, grinning slyly as she did. Luffy could feel that there was a hint of truth to her words, but overall she was lying, like how Sabo taught him to tell half-truths to keep from being caught telling lies. The fact that she was willingly agreeing to join him after having so much hatred for pirates also confused him, but he decided to see where this was going.

"What are the conditions?" He asked, watching the girl who faltered slightly under his gaze, her fear rising only slightly before being covered again by the greed.

"I want you to come with me to see Buggy the Pirate." She started, still smiling, but it was smaller than before. Luffy could feel she wasn't lying, which only confused him more.

"But!" She exclaimed, pulling out a rope and letting it unravel to the floor. She had Luffy stand, hesitating one more time, before tying the teen up who let it happen.

"Why am I tied up?" He asked.

"It's just a rope. Is there a problem?" She asked, sweating slightly- the fear back again.

"Nope. Let's go meet this Buggy guy!" Luffy said with a smile, knowing the rope would be no issue if he needed to escape it.

The two made their way through the town and straight towards the large mass of people that Luffy could feel. Once they reached it a man dressed strangely walked over to a blue-haired guy and announced their arrival, the man's attention turning their way as they walked over to him.

Luffy could still feel the greed in Nami, the small bit of fear and nervousness, but mostly the confidence as they paraded through the many pirates on either side of them.

"That's them! She's the one who stole the map!" One of the pirates Luffy had beaten up earlier exclaimed, pointing to them. Nami, grinning, pushed Luffy forward. He fell, unable to catch his footing, and laid on the ground.

"I've captured the thief Buggy the Clown! Here's your chart back!" She said as she walked up to the man, holding the map in her hand.

"I appreciate it. But why the change of heart?" Buggy asked from where he sat in his chair. Nami handed the map over before backing away back towards Luffy.

"My boss and I had a fight! I'm fed up with him! Please let me join your crew!" She said with a smile, hands behind her back as she looked to Buggy. Despite how cheerful the orange-haired woman looked and sounded, Luffy could feel the tornado of contradicting emotions in her and he wondered how she was able to act so well. Whenever he tried doing that, everyone always knew.

Buggy began to curl in on himself and the surrounding pirates all became fearful and worried.

"C-Captain Buggy is getting angry!"

"He's gonna use his devil fruit powers!"

"Devil fruit?" Luffy muttered as he watched, knowing that the man was actually amused rather than angry like the others had assumed. He was more focused on the fact that he apparently had a devil fruit.

He hadn't expected that.

Buggy suddenly started laughing loudly, the pirates around them letting out breathes of relief as he did, and Luffy could feel the relief in Nami as well despite the fact that she didn't show it.

"Fed up, huh? You're a flashily amusing girl! I like you! You can join my crew!" Buggy said to Nami, the girls smile changing into a softer look of the relief that she was feeling, and then gleeful.

Immediately, Luffy was picked up by two nearby pirates, Buggy examining him.

"So this is your boss then, huh? Doesn't look all that- _wait!"_ Buggy said, eyes widening in surprise and making Nami freeze.

"Monkey D. Luffy?! Whitebeard Pirate, 11097, Monkey D. Luffy?!" Buggy asked, everyone turning to look at Luffy with wide eyes and dropped jaws. Nami looked nervously between Luffy and Buggy before forcing another smile.

"That's right. He left the Whitebeards and came here. He wanted a map of the Grand Line so I agreed to get one for him, but as I said before, I got fed up with him and tricked him instead." Nami said, lying through her teeth. Buggy observed her for a minute before looking to Luffy.

"You left Whitebeard?" He asked Luffy. The teen could feel Buggy's confusion and even fear but nodded.

"Yup." He said, not saying any more than that. He couldn't lie like Nami, so he would stick to the truth for now. Besides, he still had no clue what the redhead was up to.

Silence reigned as everyone processed this new information, but eventually Buggy was grinning again.

"A bounty of 350,000,000 berri and it's ours for the taking! Flashily appreciated girly!" Buggy said to Nami who grinned back.

"Put him in the cage! Careful though, his bounty is alive only!" Buggy told the two pirates holding him up, and they nodded, pushing him into a stone cage nearby and locking it.

Buggy stood from his chair, getting a closer look at Luffy and laughing maniacally.

"I feel great today!" He said cheerfully. Turning to Nami he addressed her again.

"Girly, what name do you go by?" He asked.

"Nami!" She told him. Buggy turned to the pirates around them, arms outstretched.

"Alright! Let's hold a welcome party for Nami here! Celebrate flashily!" He called, everyone cheering in excitement at his words.

And party they did. Food was eaten, drinks were passed around, and the pirates entertained each other by running on barrels or juggling.

Back at Buggy's seat, he sat and ate while Nami sat at a table in front of him.

"What's wrong? This party's in your honor! Eat up!" Buggy told the girl, taking another swig of his drink.

"Yes! Thank you!" Nami agreed.

Meanwhile, Luffy- who was forced to smell and look at the food so tantalizingly close to him- was stretching his arm out in an attempt to grab something to eat. Right before he could reach something though, his arm began snapping back to him, and he pouted at the unsuccessful attempt.

"Damnit!" He said to himself with a sigh. At least the surrounding emotions were all happy ones.

"This is flashily great! Men! Prepare a special Buggy Ball!" Buggy said with a laugh, everyone cheering as they began setting up a cannon. They pointed it just beside Luffy's cage and a pirate with a red cannonball with a skull on it loaded the cannon with a grin.

"All set sir!" The man called to Buggy who stood nearby with a grin. Nami was watching with a small look of worry, glancing to Luffy who was watching it all as well.

"W-whats about to happen?" She asked Buggy.

"Observe the might of the Buggy Ball!" Buggy told her before ordering the cannon to be lit. The pirate did so, and within seconds the cannon was going off with a loud boom, the cannonball practically whistling through the air before it busted down a whole row of houses. The pirates cheered and laughed while Nami gaped in shock.

"Truly flashy. With Buggy Balls and Devil Fruit powers, I can conquer the Grand Line! Right, Nami?" He asked, turning to look to the girl who composed herself, smiling to him and nodding.

"Y-yes! Of course!" She agreed with a small laugh.

"I'm the one who's gonna rule the Grand Line." Luffy suddenly said, drawing everyone's attention.

"What?" Buggy asked.

"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy told him, face blank and void of emotion as he spoke.

"You idiot!" Nami said in anger while Buggy seethed.

"I can see why you're sick of him, Nami!" The pirate said, Nami laughing nervously again and pointing to the teen in the cage.

"Yeah! He takes the world too lightly and misunderstands everything! I couldn't put up with it anymore..." She laughed.

"Naturally!" Buggy agreed.

"If it weren't for his bounty being alive only I'd flashily have you use a Buggy Ball on him right here and now!" Buggy said, Luffy still feeling the anger in the man. Nami faltered at the words but was relieved she didn't actually have to do that.

"Start the party up again!" Buggy called, everyone cheering once more as they did just that. Nami sighed in relief while Buggy went to sit back in his chair. Glancing around quickly, Nami made her way over to Luffy's cage, crouching beside him.

"Idiot, don't anger him!" She hissed, making sure no one was paying attention to them. As much as she hated pirates, she didn't want to be apart of anyone's murder today.

"Why?" Luffy asked dumbly. Nami frowned at that.

"Because he could kill you!" She said angrily.

"That's what happens when you take on pirates," Luffy told her matter-of-factly making her glare at him.

"What? Kill people like its nothing?!" She hissed, only getting more and more annoyed as the conversation went on.

"No. You have to have the resolve to put your own life on the line." He told her with a grin. Her scowl fade and instead making her frown.

"What're you doing over here?! Come on, join the party!" One of the pirates said with a laugh as they pulled Nami up from where she was, dragging her back into the party. Luffy watched her carefully, but he wasn't worried, not when he could smell a familiar scent of steel and polish heading their way.

It was only a few more minutes later that he could see Zoro walking over to him.

"Zoro!" He called with a giant smile. The man looked to him, taking in the fact that he was both tied up and in a cage.

"How'd you find me?" Luffy asked, tilting his head as he asked, the pirates around them slowly realizing that Zoro was there.

"What do you keep playing around for? First, some bird runs off with you, and now you're inside of a cage?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow, one sword over his shoulder.

"It's pretty interesting, actually," Luffy said as if they weren't surrounded by pirates.

"Zoro?"

"T-That's what he just called him, right?" The pirates asked amongst each other.

"So you're Zoro? What do you want? Are you here to take my head or his?" Buggy asked with a grin as he stood back up.

"Neither. I'm not interested. I gave up pirate-hunting." Zoro said, not even looking at Buggy as he stood in front of Luffy's cage.

"I'm interested, though! Killing you will increase my fame." Buggy said. This time Zoro looked over his shoulder at the man, glaring.

"I wouldn't try it. You'll die." Zoro said to him.

"Oh, that so?" Buggy asked as he began flipping a knife in one hand and held four others between the fingers of his other hand. Zoro sighed.

"Guess words aren't enough for you." He said, the pirates cheering around them.

"Get 'im, Captain!"

"Captain Buggy!"

"Buggy! Buggy! Buggy!"

The two prepared to fight, Zoro placing a sword in his mouth while Buggy removed the big orange cape he'd had draped over his shoulders. Within a matter of seconds, Buggy began charging at Zoro, but the swordsman didn't move, instead moving into another stance.

"Die flashily!"

Buggy didn't even hit Zoro as the swordsman sliced the pirates limbs off, the pirates cheering as he did and Nami looking away. Luffy watched with a frown, noticing that despite the fact that the man was lying in pieces on the ground, Buggy was feeling no pain and he wasn't unconscious either.

"He had no resistance to him at all..." Zoro said as he sheathed his swords and walked back over to Luffy cage.

"He's not down yet, Zoro," Luffy said, still frowning as he stared at the pirate Captain. The green-haired man raised an eyebrow, also looking to the man again.

"What do you mean? He looks pretty down to me." He said, but as he did the surrounding pirates began laughing ominously at them. Zoro eyed them shiftily and unsheathed one of his swords again, eyes glancing back to the Captain.

"H-huh? Their Captains been killed, but they're laughing?" Nami asked from a few feet away, watching in confusion. Zoro was about to ask what was so funny when he saw Buggy begin moving out of the corner of his eye, the man reassembling as if he hadn't been cut in the first place. One of the hands didn't reassemble though and instead shot right at him.

Thanks to his fast reflexes, Zoro blocked the attack with his unsheathed sword.

"H-his arm!" Nami said in shock, hands to her mouth and pale as she watched the disembodied arm fly back to Buggy, and replace its self.

"The Bara Bara no mi. That's the name of the Devil Fruit I ate! I'm a chop chop person who cant be cut!" Buggy exclaimed, the pirates cheering again at his words while Buggy laughed.

"His body reattached itself!" Nami said.

"A chop-chop guy?! You mean he's a monster?" Luffy asked, despite the fact that he himself was a rubber person with heightened sense of smell and the ability to see people's souls and feel their emotions. Oh, and he could see their memories too.

"Buggy! Buggy! Buggy!" The pirates chanted, throwing their fists and swords in the air as they did.

"Attacking from behind is unfair! Big nose!" Luffy shouted to Buggy, annoyed that the man had attempted to stab Zoro in the back. Everyone blanched around him at his words, the pirates frozen in shock and fear.

"Who's... got a big nose?!" Buggy shouted in anger, detaching his arm again and sending both it, and the knife it held, towards Luffy despite the Alive only bounty.

"Luffy!" Zoro shouted as he tried intercepting the knife, but not making it in time. It didn't matter though because the teen caught the knife between his teeth, glaring at the blue-haired clown and biting down, destroying the knife.

"Buggy! I will kick your ass!" He said, glare turning into a grin at the thought. Buggy began laughing again at that, confidence filling him.

"Kick my ass? You're a real riot! You're stuck in a cage, and I'm going to kill Zoro here, you know! I'd kill you too if it weren't for your bounty being alive only! How should I have my ass kicked in this situation?!" Buggy asked, the pirates laughing at his words.

"Its no use... its all over..." Nami said to herself in worry, sweating a little.

"I refuse to die!" Luffy exclaimed before laughing, Buggy watching in surprise.

"Run! Zoro!" Luffy shouted to the swordsman, Zoro looking at him in shock.

"Wait! He came here to save you! What're you gonna do?!" Nami said, confused why Luffy would want the only help he had in this situation to leave him. Luffy only continued grinning to Zoro, understanding slowly morphing onto the man's face.

"Understood!" Zoro said. Nami tilted in shock and Buggy flew into a rage.

"Impudent fool! As if I'd let you escape!" He screamed, jumping at Zoro and forcing the swordsman to block his quick attacks. Buggy gained some ground on him, but then Zoro crouched, cutting Buggy's torso from his body before jumping through him and running the opposite way.

"Fool! Your Three-Sword Style has no effect on- Hey! Listen when people are talking!" Buggy shouted over his shoulder as he noticed that Zoro wasn't listening anymore and instead running right for the cannon.

Getting underneath of it, Zoro pushed it up, flipping it around to face Buggy and his gang. Nami ran up to Zoro, swiping up the matches from the pirate that had lit the cannon earlier.

"Oh crap! The cannons pointed this way!" The pirates shrieked.

"Light it!" Zoro told Nami, noticing the matches in her hand.

"R-right!" Nami said, sparking one of the matches.

"Wait, wait, wait! There's still a special Buggy Ball in there! Nami, I thought you were on our side!" Buggy shouted. Ignoring the words, Nami lit the fuse, only making Buggy's eyes bulge in both rage and fear.

"You lit it!" He shouted.

"Wait! No! Stop! Stop!" The other pirates shouted, Nami covering her ears and shutting her eyes.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

Luffy laid down in the cage, staring blankly ahead of him.

"Ne, Zoro, that was a close one," Luffy said, his swordsman carrying his cage on his back and taking them through the town.

"How'd you know he wasn't down yet? Did you know about his fruit?" Zoro asked as he struggled to carry the cage, the process slow going.

"I felt it," Luffy said as if it was something everyone could do.

"Felt it? Never mind. Who was that girl anyway?" He asked him next, deciding that his Captain was weird in more ways than one.

"Oh, shes our navigator!" Luffy said with a smile, which quickly turned into a thoughtful look.

"At least, I think so. She said she would be." He said, still confused by Nami agreeing to be a pirate after telling him how much she hated them.

"That's some good news at least. Another crew member and we'll actually get to islands." Zoro said, stopping in front of a store where a dog sat.

"Whats with this dog?" Zoro asked after he set the cage down in front of the animal.

"Dog!" Luffy exclaimed happily, grabbing onto the bars and sticking his head out at it. He began moving the cage forward by rocking it back and forth, slowly making it move. The dog stared at him, and he stared back for a minute before pulling his face and trying to make it react.

"Ne, Zoro, this dogs not moving at all!" Luffy told his swordsman who moved to sit on the step of the store they were in front of.

"Hell if I care, it can do what it wants!" Zoro said as he rested, tired after carrying his Captain through the town in a stone cage.

"I wonder if it's dead?!" Luffy said, still grinning as he looked back at the dog. He stuck his hand out, poking it on the head, and the animal immediately lunged toward him, biting his face.

"Oww! Oww! Oww! Oww! What're you doing stupid dog?!" Luffy shouted, struggling to get the dog off his face while Zoro stared in shock.

"Do you know the situation we're in right now?!" Zoro shouted in annoyance. Ignoring the swordsman, Luffy finally managed to get the dog to let go of his face, the animal returning to its previous spot and sitting, unmoving once more.

"Damn dog!" Luffy muttered, laying back in his cage. Nami's scent wafted over to him and he sat up, turning to watch the woman walk towards them.

"Heya, navigator!" He greeted her.

"I guess you can have this since you did get me out of that situation!" She told him, tossing Luffy the key to his cage with a nervous smile, a fear in her that she hid well. The key landed in between Luffy and the dog and he grinned.

"Oh! The key to the cage! You went and got it for me?!" He asked Nami with a smile.

"Don't get the wrong idea! I just didn't want to wind up owing you!" She said with a hand on her hip. Zoro smiled, watching as Luffy went to grab the key.

"I'm saved!" The teen cheered, but right as he was about to pick it up, the dog did instead, swallowing it. Nami sweat dropped, Zoro's eyes widened, and Luffy became furious.

"Stupid dog! You ate the key! That's not food! Gimme it back!" Luffy said, reaching to grab the dog but being stopped by the bars. He frowned, taking deep breaths, before sighing.

"Oh well." He said, making both Zoro and Nami look at him.

"Oh well?" They asked, wondering if Luffy understood the situation he was in or not.

"I'll just break the cage," Luffy said with a shrug as if it were obvious, coating his hands in armament haki and blasting through the bars, leaving the front of the cage wide open. Zoro and Nami's eyes widened and their jaws dropped.

"What the hell was that?!" Nami shrieked in surprise, not having been expecting that strength. She should have known though, the teen was a notorious pirate after all.

"You could do that the whole time you ass?!" Zoro asked, having half the mind to slice his Captain up right there and then. He'd just lugged both Luffy and the cage through the town, and it turned out it hadn't been necessary in the first place.

Luffy stepped out of the cage, laughing.

"Shishishi! Yup!" He said, hands on his hips as he grinned his D grin at the swordsman.

"Hey, you young'uns!" A new voice shouted, distracting them.

"Who're you old man?" Zoro asked, his previous anger at Luffy fading as he addressed the new person.

"I'm this towns mayor! Who're you?!" The mayor asked as he walked up to them. He took in the scene before him, Luffy standing in front of a now destroyed cage and glaring at the dog, muttering about stupid dogs. He also noted that Zoro looked worn out and Nami still looked surprised.

"I take it Buggy went after you folks too?" He asked, Zoro and Nami nodding while Luffy turned his attention back to the man. The dog yawned and the Mayor looked back to him.

"Hello to you too Chouchou." He said with a smile, the dog barking at the mayor.

"So this dog's name is Chouchou?" Nami asked, getting over her surprise and kneeling down to pet the dog who's tail began wagging.

"Whats it just sitting here for?" Luffy asked, still miffed that the dog hadn't been all that nice to him.

"It's guarding the shop," The mayor started, telling them the story of Chouchou's previous owner and how he'd owned the pet food shop behind them. He told them of his theory on why Chouchou still stayed, how the shop had been his previous master's treasure, and by the end of it he was sitting beside Zoro, smoking his pipe while Luffy watched Chouchou with a frown.

No more could be said when a loud rumble shook the town and they all turned.

"What was that?" Nami asked, the Mayor shooting up from his spot.

"It's him! Beast Tamer Mohji!" He shouted, freaking out behind Nami.

"What do you mean, 'Beast Tamer'?" Nami asked, turning to the mayor, but the man was beginning to run off.

"W-wait! Hold on!" She shouted to him, but the man was already disappearing behind the houses, running into the alleys and leaving them behind. Nami let her outstretched hand fall, sweat dropping.

Another rumble shook the ground and she turned to look at it, shuffling closer to Zoro and Luffy who were both looking towards the rumbling as well.

"Somethings here," Zoro said, stating the obvious as he unsheathed his sword. Nami hid behind him while Luffy tilted his head, all of them watching as a large lion rounded the corner, a man riding on top of it as they stalked closer.

"Who're you?" Luffy asked as the man and lion stopped in front of them.

"I am Beast Tamer Mohji, a member of the Buggy Pirates. I'm here to bring you back to Captain Buggy, 11097, along with you're friends Pirate Hunter Zoro and the thief, Nami."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone to an early chapter! As I said last week, I wanted to try and get this extra chapter out seeing as all this craziness in the world is a bit of a downer. I hope this chapter will brighten your days like your comments and kudos brighten mine!
> 
> So, we officially met Nami and Buggy in this chapter! There wasn't any real fighting yet, but the next chapter will be the big showdown between Luffy and Buggy. As you can see the changes- while small- are already happening. Thanks to Luffys abilities he was able to warn Zoro about Buggy and as a result the swordsman remains unharmed. As we progress, those small changes will become larger, more noticeable changes.
> 
> As always, I hope you all continue to stay safe and healthy! Wash your hands, sanitize and practice social distancing. Be the introvert I know you all can be.
> 
> Anyway, thank you all so so much for the amazing, thoughtful comments, as well as all the support you show me and my stories. I'll see you all next week with the next chapter and the conclusion to Orange Town!


	5. The Clown Showdown

"I am Beast Tamer Mohji, a member of the Buggy Pirates. I'm here to bring you back to Captain Buggy, 11097, along with you're friends Pirate Hunter Zoro and the thief, Nami." The man boasted, sitting tall on his lion.

"That sure is a weird animal suit you got on!" Luffy said to him, taking in the mans strange appearance.

"How rude! This is my hair!" Mohji shouted, pointing to said hair as he did. Luffy only blinked while Nami hid safely behind Zoro and Zoro held onto the hilts of his swords, ready to pull them out if necessary.

"That's even weirder!" Luffy said, his swordsman nodding in agreement behind him while Nami facepalmed. Seriously, it was like these two _wanted_ to die!

"Do you think you can rest easy because you've escaped once? You must not know my terrifying skill! There is no animal in this world that Beast Tamer Mohji can't tame!" Mohji told them as he got off his lion, walking up to a growling Chouchou and crouching in front of him.

"Shake!" He told the dog, holding his hand out expectantly. Everyone watched, expecting the dog to do as such, but it instead bit Mohji's hand, the man freaking out and shaking it in an attempt to get Chouchou off.

Once Chouchou let go, Mohji recomposed himself, standing tall again.

"Your bounty is alive only, but that doesn't mean I can't rough you up a bit. If you hand over Roronoa Zoro and the thief willingly, I'll reconsider, however!" Mohji told Luffy with a grin. The teen frowned at that, crossing his arms.

"No!" He said defiantly, watching as the beast tamers face and emotions changed to that of annoyance.

"Sic 'em Richie!" He shouted, pointing to the three. Nami shrieked in fear and dropped to the ground, covering her head with her hands and squeezing her eyes shut. Zoro unsheathed his swords, ready to fight the giant lion, while Luffy shifted into a fighting stance, lowering his body as the lion's paw descended on him.

Right as the paw came over him, ready to crush him, he put his hands up and braced himself, successfully holding the attack off. The lion blinked in shock and there was a momentary silence as everyone else watched in surprise. Nami peeked her eye open at the silence and was just as shocked as everyone else to see Luffy effortlessly holding off the lion's giant paw.

Shifting slightly, Luffy then pushed the paw up and off of him, knocking the lion off balance. It stumbled back a few feet, stunned, before growing angry once more and lowering its body, getting ready to charge again while snarling at Luffy. Before it charged though, it sniffed the air, eyes drifting to the pet shop behind them.

"Richie! I said get 'em! We can raid the Pet Shop after!" Mohji insisted, a little worried now after seeing Luffy effortlessly block the lion's attack. With a roar, the lion came running forward again, and Luffy let it, stretching his arms forward and twisting them together. Once the lion was within his grasp, he grabbed its head, jumping over it and landing behind it.

"Gum gum Hammer!" Luffy shouted, letting his arms unravel and begin twisting the lion, sending it into the air before landing it face-first into the ground, knocking it out and shocking Mohji.

"W-what are you?!" Mohji asked in fear. Luffy didn't bother looking at the man from where he was still crouched on the ground.

"I ate the gum-gum fruit. I'm a rubber man." He said to him while Nami stared in awe at the straw-hatted teen's strength, shakily standing up.

"A-a former Whitebeard Pirate with a devil fruit power..." Mohji said breathlessly, realizing exactly what he was up against now.

"A-alright! I peacefully apologize to you!" The man shouted, jumping away from Luffy and holding his hands up in surrender.

"You don't need to apologize now. You were going to take that dog's treasure. That's why I'm gonna kick your ass!" Luffy said, turning to face Mohji now with a deceptively calm look on his face. Nami watched on in shock while Zoro put his swords away, seeing the threat was neutralized for now.

Mohji began to back away, but it was useless as Luffy's arm stretched, grabbing his throat and pulling him towards the teen. Once close enough, Luffy used his other fist to punch the man, knocking him out as well and leaving him on the ground. He remained standing there for a minute before holding his hat and turning to face the others. Walking over, he felt Nami begin to grow furious, the woman walking out from behind Zoro and stalking up to Luffy with a glare. Zoro watched with a raised eyebrow, having noticed the angry look.

"Pirates are all the same, every last one! They take what people hold dear without a second thought!" She shouted, standing in front of Luffy now and keeping him from moving forward. Even though she knew the teen was strong, even though she knew he was a notorious criminal, she couldn't feel any of her previous fear as her anger pushed her to confront the man without any preservation for her life.

"As a pirate, you've probably already done the same, and will continue to do so! Maybe I should just call the Marines here right now before you can gather a crew of your own and attack people too!" She shouted, tempted to attack Luffy, but holding herself back, having enough sense to not do that.

"As if they could take me back," Luffy said with no emotion, walking around Nami and right to Chouchou. He sat beside the dog, looking toward where the downed lion and pirate lay.

"Good job, you kept your treasure safe." He told the dog, having noticed when the dog started growling at the lion, not backing down from the fight that could have happened.

"That bastard lion won't be coming back," Luffy told him, smiling widely to him. The dog looked at him for a second before barking once, Luffy laughing. Nami watched in surprise, her anger melting away in an instant and leaving her feeling ashamed of what she'd done, as well as a little fearful.

"Yeah! Good luck to you too!" Luffy told him before standing back up.

"That wasn't much of a fight," Zoro said, noticing that the _'fight'_ had clearly been one-sided. Not like he didn't expect it though, Luffy was a Grand Line pirate- a Whitebeard Pirate. He knew that meant he was pretty strong.

"That guy pissed me off," Luffy said with a shrug, turning as the Mayor's scent grew stronger, noticing the man was peeking around the corner of a building.

"You're alive?!" The Mayor asked in disbelief.

"Is it wrong to be alive?" Luffy asked in confusion, wondering why the man was so shocked about it.

"You just fought Beast Tamer Mohji and Richie and there's not a scratch on you!" He said as he scrambled over to Luffy, his eyes wide.

"What is your purpose for coming to this town? Why are you involved with those pirates?" He asked cautiously, realizing that Luffy was stronger then he had first thought.

"I just decided our purpose! To get a Grand Line map and a navigator!" Luffy said cheerfully as he grinned to the Mayor. Zoro grinned as well and walked up to Luffy while Nami continued staring, mouth agape. She hesitated, realizing that she had insulted the teen without realizing that he'd fought the lion for the sake of the dog rather than himself. Unlike everything she'd ever known about pirates, Luffy had done something for someone else rather than himself.

Walking over, she frowned, looking to the ground.

"I'm sorry," She started, Luffy looking at her in confusion, feeling her shame and regret.

"Huh?" He asked her, wondering what she was apologizing for.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you..." She elaborated. Luffy smiled to her and she felt some of her hesitation fade away.

"It's okay! You've been through a lot!" He told her knowingly, her emotions telling him as much. The navigator had gone through a lot of emotions in the short time they'd been together, and not to mention everything with the Buggy Pirates and whatever secret she was hiding too. He knew she must be at her wits end by now, like Ace whenever he had too many nightmares or narcolepsy attacks.

Nami smiled gently to him at his words, wondering just how wrong the news had been about Luffy being a monster. Sure, he was a pirate and she was still going to watch her every step around him, but so far everything he'd done had contradicted what she knew about pirates.

"I don't feel like hearing about it though," Luffy told her, hands behind his head as he turned to Zoro, the swordsman waiting for Luffy's instructions on their next move. Before they could begin to talk about that though, the Mayor spoke up, frustration and determination filling him.

"I'm pathetic! Chouchou and this young'un will fight so hard, yet why must I, the Mayor, sit by and watch our town be obliterated?!" He asked in a rage, fists clenched tightly. Nami ran around in front of the man, worry on her face as she held her hands up. Zoro moved in front of the Mayor as well, realizing the man was getting a little too riled up and wanted to keep him from running off and doing something stupid.

"Calm down, Mayor!" Nami told the man, hoping he'd listen. The mayor began ranting about the history of the town, telling them how the Buggy pirates had shown up, and how he was tired of it. When his rant ended, a loud explosion went off, knocking down the nearby houses and shops, one of them being the doctor's office.

"I refuse to let them get away with this! I can stand this no more! Some scum has no right to destroy our 40 years!" The Mayor said, fists now clenched at his sides.

"I am this town's Mayor. I will protect this town!" He shouted, but right as he tried to run off, Nami grabbed him, holding him back.

"Stop! Stop, Mayor!" She said, trying to reason with the man, but he wasn't having it.

"There are fights a man cannot run from! Isn't that right young'un?!" He shouted determinedly, pulling Nami forward as he struggled to get out of her grip. Luffy grinned at the man's words, laughing.

"That's right, old man!" He told him, Nami glaring at him as she continued struggling to hold the man back.

"Don't encourage him!" She shouted.

"What can he possibly do by going to see them?! It's reckless!" She yelled, realizing that she was trying to reason with both Luffy and the mayor at this point.

"I'm fully aware it's reckless!" The Mayor suddenly shouted, stopping Nami in her attempts to hold him back, everyone staring at the Mayor.

"I'm coming for you, Buggy the Clown!" The man said, running off without hindrance seeing as Nami had let go. The three watched him run, no one moving to stop him.

"The Mayor was crying..." Nami said softly, Luffy looking at her in confusion.

"He was? I didn't see it." Luffy said as Zoro placed a hand on his hip, his other arm resting on his swords.

"Looks like the party's gettin' more exciting!" He exclaimed, Luffy laughing.

"Sure does!"

"This is no time to be laughing!" Nami chastised, worry on her face again as the mayor disappeared completely from their sight.

"It's ok, I like the old guy! I absolutely won't let him die!" Luffy told her as he looked at her, grinning widely. The mayor had a strong, bright blue aura and good feelings. He would do everything in his power to make sure he stayed safe.

"In that case..." Zoro said, walking towards where the Mayor had run off, Luffy following.

"You're gonna go too?!" She asked incredulously, running after them a few steps before stopping.

"I can't let them get away with thinking I'm someone who runs from a fight!" Zoro told her, tying his bandanna to his head.

"Our destination is the Grand Line. So we're gonna steal that map back now!" Luffy said as he stepped up beside Zoro, Nami watching them in shock. Luffy turned around to look at her, still smiling as he let out a short laugh.

"Join our crew, Nami!" He told her as he held a hand out to her, wondering if she'd reconsidered on joining them or not. She had made it sound that way earlier, so he thought he'd ask one more time just in case.

"Pirates took the life of someone very important to me! As if I'd ever be one!" She started, a scowl on her face and Luffy was ready to call it a loss, finally realizing why Nami hated pirates so much, but then she grinned, slapping his hand.

"But how about we team up for our common goal?"

**_/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_ **

"I won't let you destroy this town! Even if it costs me my life!" As Luffy, Zoro and Nami walked up to Buggy's base, they saw the Mayor being strangled by Buggy's disembodied hands, defiant.

"Fire!" Buggy shouted, ordering those at the cannon to once again light it. Before they could do so, Luffy grabbed Buggy's hands, separating them from the Mayor's throat and squeezing it tightly in his hands.

"Straw Hat?!" Buggy shrieked, paling at the reappearance of the pirate. Luffy grinned, looking over to him.

"I'm here to kick your ass, just like I promised!" He called to him, smile never faltering. Behind him Zoro stood in preparation for a fight he knew was going to happen while Nami stayed further back, not intending on engaging in the fight. Buggy struggled to have his hand return to him, but finally, Luffy let the appendage go, watching it fly back to Buggy's arm and reattach.

"H-how dare you just come waltzing back here, to Captain Buggy!" He shouted, and despite the nervousness and fear that Luffy could feel coming from the man, he still attempted to put on a confident front.

"Listen! All I want is the map and the treasure!" Nami told them, wanting to make sure they didn't expect her to fight.

"Yeah, I know," Luffy said, not even looking away from Buggy as he spoke. The mayor, who had been coughing on the ground, finally managed to speak.

"Young'uns... why are you here?! Stay out of this, you're outsiders! This is my fight! I will protect my town!" He yelled, grabbing his weapon and standing, a fierce look on his face.

"I don't need your meddling!" Before the man could run off like Luffy knew he was going to do, he slammed the man's head into a nearby wall, the Mayor falling unconscious immediately. Nami yelled out in shock, sweating again as she watched the rough treatment while Zoro didn't even blink.

"What the hell?! Why did you attack the mayor?!" Nami shouted behind Luffy in anger. Maybe she'd been wrong about Luffy being different than other pirates after all. Luffy turned to her with a smile.

"He was in the way!" He said simply.

"Good thinking. No doubt this old man's plans were to die otherwise. This is for the best." Zoro said, hand on his hip while Nami continued gaping at them.

"Don't be crazy! There were plenty of other ways you could've done it!" She shouted, but Luffy ignored her, instead walking closer to Buggy.

"Alright, here goes..." He said to himself, Nami glaring at his back as he walked away from her.

 _"BIG NOSE!"_ He screamed as loud as he could, everyone besides Zoro freaking out at the words.

"That's the one thing you _shouldn't_ say!" Nami shrieked in fear, holding her face in her hands.

"Damn you, you flashy idiot!" Buggy growled out.

"Flashily fire the buggy ball!" He screamed, the pirates looking at him nervously.

"B-but Captain Buggy sir, h-his bounty-"

"Screw his bounty! I want this flashy idiot dead!" Buggy screamed at them. Without any more hesitation, the pirate ran to the cannon, aiming it at the three standing below them.

"Why'd you say that?! You idiot!" Nami shouted at Luffy, running away to hopefully avoid the blast from the cannon.

"Hey, Luffy! Run!" Zoro warned his Captain, he himself worried as he looked at the mouth of the cannon aimed directly at them. Luffy didn't move though, grinning as he watched the pirates getting ready to light it.

"That..."

"Time to blow up!"

"Won't work on me!" Right after Luffy's words, the cannon exploded, the red Buggy Ball shooting at both Luffy and Zoro at a fast pace.

"Gum gum..." Luffy inhaled deeply, his body expanding greatly as a result.

"Balloon!" He shouted, the Buggy Ball landing on his stomach as the pirates all watched in fear and shock.

"Don't tell me the Buggy Ball..." Buggy screamed, watching as Luffy bounced the cannonball right back at them.

"He bounced it back!" Buggy shouted, waving as it grew closer to him.

"Say something beforehand, geez!" Zoro said with a hand on his face, annoyed he'd been worried for nothing.

The cannonball landed right where both Buggy and his crew were standing, the roof of the building exploding and creating a large dust cloud. A blast of wind blew past them all and Luffy held onto his hat to make sure it didn't fly off his head, string or no. Nami was on the ground behind him, holding her head as she braced herself against the wind.

"Alright! Now there's fewer enemies!" Luffy cheered.

"What the heck are you?!" Nami screeched, her teeth sharpening and fists at her side as she yelled at Luffy's back.

"You really know how to freak people out..." Zoro said as he stepped closer to Luffy.

As the dust cloud dissipated, the remains of the flattened building showed the many pirates that had gone down from the attack.

"I knew something was weird from the time you fought that lion!" Nami shouted, finally standing as she continued yelling at Luffy. She hadn't seen most of the fight, too busy hiding behind Zoro and shielding herself, but she had sworn shed seen Luffy's arms stretching just a bit too far for a normal humans at one point.

"No human can do that! Explain yourself!" She demanded, Luffy looking at her blankly.

"What was that balloon-inflatey thing you just did?!" Nami continued.

"The Gum-Gum Balloon!" Luffy answered easily, smiling to her as he spoke.

"I'm asking what it _is!"_ She shouted, teeth sharp again as her frustration grew.

"What are you, a monster?!" She asked, holding her fists up as she yelled. Luffy didn't have a chance to answer that as Buggy stepped forward, holding two of his burned up crewmembers in front of him with his disembodied hands.

"How dare you flashily try to do me in..." He said lowly, looking at the ground as his pirate hat shadowed over his eyes.

"He used his henchman as shields!" Nami said in disgust, arms folded over her chest as she glared at the man. Luffy and Zoro were both frowning at him as well, neither of them liking it either.

From the rubble, someone shot up, looking around in confusion.

"What happened here?! Ah! You!" Mohji screamed as he spotted Luffy. The teen smiled at him, raising his hand in greeting.

"Heya!" He called, watching and feeling as Mohji screamed in fear.

"The Straw Hat guy! Monkey D. Luffy! C-C-Captain Buggy! Be careful! He has devil fruit powers too! He's a rubber person just like the news said!" Mohji told his Captain, glancing fearfully to Luffy as he spoke.

"What?! I should have known those Marines were onto something!" Buggy said to himself.

"Rubber person?!" Nami asked Luffy, not having seen the articles mentioning it before.

"Yeah! See!" Luffy said, pulling his cheeks in demonstration. Nami backed up, hand to her mouth in a mixture of disgust and shock at the unnatural way they stretched.

"A devil fruit... That explains how he bounced the Buggy Ball back." Buggy said to himself as another person stood from the rubble, holding Richie the lion in the air.

"This is the greatest insult we've had since we hoisted our flag, Captain." The new person said with a frown as he looked to Buggy.

"Oh, Cabaji! I'm so angry I can't even fart..." Buggy told the man while Mohji became angry.

"Cabaji! What the hell did you do to Richie?!" He asked in fury as he observed his Lion that was now smoking from the cannonballs explosion.

"This cat? I used it as a shield to keep my clothes from getting dirty." He said, dropping the lion as Mohji shrieked out its name, running over to it. Richie woke up briefly, saw Cabaji, and hid behind a wall in fear, making Mohji even angrier as he attempted attacking Cabaji who merely kicked him away, sending him flying towards Luffy, Zoro, and Nami.

"Move out of the way!" Mohji screamed as he flew, not wanting to run into them.

"No, you move!" Luffy shouted back, Nami stepping out of the way as Luffy reared his leg back, kicking Mohji out of the air and into the neighboring wall, Nami watching with a sweatdrop.

"Captain Buggy?"

"Yes, Cabaji?"

"Please, leave this to me," Cabaji said to the Captain, watching the three carefully.

"Alright! Show them your acrobat show!" Buggy told the man with a devilish smile. Cabaji matched the smile as he jumped into the air, Luffy watching in awe and Nami watching in fear while Zoro watched on indifferently. When the man landed, it was on a unicycle, a sword in hand as he cycled towards them.

"I, Acrobat Cabaji, Chief of Staff, take on Captain Buggy's anger!" He shouted, aiming his sword for Luffy, only to be intercepted by Zoro who blocked the sword with his own. Luffy tilted to look over Zoro's shoulder, awe still on his face.

"I'll clash swords with you!" Zoro said, smiling at the chance to finally get into a real fight.

"Its an honor, Roronoa Zoro... To think I would get to slay you, as a swordsman myself." Cabaji said confidently. Luffy stepped to Zoro's side, observing the two swordsman's swords which were still fighting against each other, neither one budging from its spot.

"Ne, Zoro, I'm gonna fight Buggy now. You gonna be alright?" Luffy asked, grinning as he felt Zoro's confidence rising as well.

"Of course Captain, I'll finish this guy off quick." The green-haired man said, smile widening as he glanced to Luffy out of the corner of his eye.

The fight between the two swordsmen began after that, Cabaji starting off by breathing fire in Zoro's face and kicking him once the man was stunned. Nami shrieked, sweating as she stumbled away from the fight. Luffy only spared the two one more look before walking over to Buggy, but Nami stopped him, running up to him.

"Hold on, you're just going to fight Buggy now?! Without any help?!" She asked, nervous that even though the teen was strong, he was going to get himself killed. After all she'd seen, Luffy seemed to be pretty airheaded and she was actually surprised he hadn't been captured by the Marines yet.

"Yup," Luffy told her as if it were obvious.

"I can't go along with this! You pirates can injure yourselves for all I care! It doesn't matter to me whether you win or lose!" She said, throwing her arms up as she began to walk towards an alley. Luffy watched her go without expression while she turned to face him, grinning.

"I'm gonna use this chance to swipe their treasure and get outta here! Let's team up again if we ever get the chance!" She said to him, still smiling as she turned towards the alley again.

"See ya! Good luck with the fight!" She called, running off. Luffy watched her run with a smile, waving to her.

"Yeah! Thanks!" He called back, even though he could feel the lies coming from the woman, telling him she'd rather not see him again. Turning to check on Zoro's fight again he saw that there were a bunch of tops spinning on the ground and Cabaji was cycling up into the air, making him gape in awe.

"Cabaji! I'll hold Zoro down! Finish him off!" Buggy shouted, making Luffy realize that there was a disembodied hand flying towards Zoro.

"As you wish!" Cabaji shouted as he began descending, sword aimed to hit Zoro. Before Buggy's hand could grab Zoro though, Luffy stepped on it, making the clown scream in pain as he held his arm and allowing Zoro to dodge Cabaji's attack.

"Luffy," Zoro said, realizing what his Captain had done as he glanced over his shoulder to him.

"D-damn you!" Buggy shouted to Luffy as he continued holding his arm.

"Stay out of Zoro's fight!" Luffy said with a murderous glare, hat shadowing one of his eyes as he looked at the Clown. Buggy glared back at Luffy in annoyance, the two staring at each other until the fight between Zoro and Cabaji started again. Zoro, annoyed with all of Cabaji's fake tricks, told the man as much which only angered him into charging the swordsman. With one more attack, Zoro took down Cabaji, the man falling off of his unicycle and leaving Zoro without a scratch.

"Cabaji!" Buggy shouted in surprise, not having expected his swordsman to lose.

"Nice, Zoro!" Luffy told his crewmate, the man turning to grin at him.

"If I couldn't beat this excuse of a swordsman, I would have to give up on my dream to be the greatest altogether," Zoro told him, sheathing his swords as he turned to look at Luffy and Buggy.

"Right! I'll handle the rest!" Luffy told him, turning to Buggy and holding his bicep in his hand, grinning widely at Buggy who was a shade paler than before, though still glaring.

"A former Whitebeard Pirate, starting his own crew." Buggy said, glare never letting up.

"Yeah! We're going to the Grand Line, and then the New World, and then I'm gonna become King of the Pirates!" Luffy told him, the pirate gaping at the teen's confidence, before growing angry again.

"Get real, you flashy idiot! Former Whitebeard or not, the Grand Line and the New World are no joke! You, King of the Pirates?!" He asked, stepping forward in irritation as he yelled, Luffy giving him no expression as he listened.

"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates and obtain this worlds treasures! Quit your dreaming!" Buggy shouted.

"You're annoying. Just bring it on already!" Luffy said, shifting his stance and holding his arm slightly behind him. Buggy growled, knives appearing between each of his fingers.

"Seeing that Straw Hat of yours brings back memories of _him_ and it irritates me! Memories of that damn cheeky red-haired man!" Buggy snarled, piquing Luffy's curiosity.

"Red-Haired?! Red Haired... does that mean you know Shanks?!" Luffy asked with a frown.

"Huh? Yeah, but why?" Buggy asked, confused as to why Luffy was asking.

"Where is he now?!" Luffy asked, wondering if the pirate would know. He didn't want to run into Shanks just yet- he didn't have a crew yet after all- so if he could avoid him for now, that would be good.

"Dunno! Maybe I know where he is or maybe I don't!" Buggy shouted with a smile. Luffy straightened from his fighting stance, giving Buggy a blank look.

"What're you talking about? Are you stupid or something?" He asked, not understanding what Buggy had said. Either he knew or he didn't, so why was he acting like he didn't know if he knew or not?

Luffy was getting a headache trying to figure it out.

"Not as much as you!" Buggy screamed before composing himself, raising his knives again and grinning.

"I ain't nice enough of a guy to just tell you what you want to know!" He said as if he hadn't been angry in the first place. Luffy lowered back into his fighting stance again, fist ready to fire as he grinned.

"Then I'll make you tell me!" He answered making Buggy laugh.

"I'll kill you before that ever happens! I don't care about your flashy bounty anymore, you've annoyed me far too much! I doubt rubber can bounce back from blades!" He said, kicking his shoe and revealing a knife that stuck out of the front. Luffy nodded in confirmation, lips in a thin line.

"Nope, it can't!" He confirmed.

"Idiot, don't tell him that!" Zoro shouted from where he leaned against a building, watching the two. Luffy blinked at the swordsman, not realizing why he shouldn't, but then he smelled Nami nearby again in the alley she'd left from. He couldn't confirm it with his eyes though because Buggy got his attack ready and he had to focus his attention back on the Pirate.

"Bara Bara Rice Cracker!" He shouted before jumping in the air, legs detaching and spinning like a wheel as they came right towards Luffy, knives still sticking out from the shoes. Luffy didn't move and instead waited, jumping over them unharmed.

"Cant move in midair, can you?!" Buggy asked from where he had remained floating without legs, detaching his hands next and sending them, along with the knives they held, after Luffy who was still falling from his jump.

"Can too!" Luffy called, grabbing a nearby pillar and using it to move out of the way.

"Oh, quite interesting!" Buggy praised.

"You too!" Luffy said back with a smile before readying his next attack.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" He shouted, attempting to hit Buggy in the face, but the man moved out of the way.

"Those are interesting abilities, but they leave you wide open!" He said, raising a knife as he watched Luffy's arm continue extending past his face.

"I'm gonna carve you up!" He shouted, about to slice the arm beside him before realizing what Luffy was doing.

"Bara Bara Quick Escape!"

"Gum Gum Sickle!" The two moved simultaneously, Buggy's head detaching from his neck as Luffy tried to grab it, his body shooting past the pirate and landing behind him.

"Not good enough, Gum-Gum!" Buggy taunted, Luffy frowning at the man and fixing his hat.

"Damn, you keep breaking into pieces." He said in slight annoyance. He'd hoped to fight the man without any haki- he wanted a fun fight, not a quick one- but it seemed he might have to use it if the pirate continued breaking apart like that. In the rubble behind him, he could feel some of the downed pirates' emotions becoming clearer, telling him they were waking up, but they made no move to join the fight, all of them continuing to play dead instead so Luffy ignored them in favor of focusing on Buggy, the pirate starting his next attack.

"Bara Bara Chop Cannon!" He called, letting his hand blast off of his arm, knives pointed out as it shot towards Luffy. Right before it could reach his face, Luffy grabbed the hand and held it back, the knives only centimeters from touching skin.

"Separate!" Luffy felt with his haki what was going to happen, but only managed to move enough to not get his face cut. Instead, the string and the brim of his hat were hit as the hand shot out of Luffy's own hand, the knives slicing the string off and making the hat land on the ground. Luffy blinked at it before a fury rose in him and he glared murderously at Buggy.

"You Bastard!" He shouted, the words chilling to hear. Buggy faltered slightly at that, almost having forgotten just who he was fighting, but the rage he was seeing on the young pirate right now reminded him that he was fighting a former Whitebeard, someone from not only the Grand Line, but the New World as well, and it made him hesitate in his determination to fight the rubber teen.

"W-what? Can't stand a little knick on that damn hat?" He asked, trying to keep up his confident appearance but failing as he shook slightly.

"How dare you... How dare you damage this hat!" Luffy shouted as he looked at the cut on the brim.

"Huh?!" Buggy asked, realizing that the pirate really was getting so worked up over the hat.

"This is my treasure! Whoever damages this hat must absolutely pay!" Luffy screamed, making the man step back from the ferocity of it.

"I-it would seem that hat has a history to it..." Buggy said in an attempt to calm Luffys sudden rage, but also to distract him as his disembodied hand rose from where it had landed after cutting the hat.

"That's right!" Luffy told him.

"Is it that important of a hat?" He asked, gaining back some of his confidence as he made his hand throw one of the knives, Luffy spinning out of the way.

"If so... then protect it better!" He screamed back, his hand flying forward with the three knives it still held and stabbing through the top of the straw hat that Luffy was still holding in his hand. Luffy watched in shock as the hat was ripped from his hand by Buggy's hand, the hand moving back to Buggy as it reattached to his arm, the Pirate Captain inspecting the hat.

"How is this old tattered hat a treasure?" Buggy asked in confusion, trying to find something about it that would make it valuable. Finding nothing, he laughed.

"Treasure refers to sparkly gold, silver, and jewels! You call this filthy straw hat a treasure? Cut the crap!" Buggy said, laughing again while Luffy seethed on the ground where he'd landed after the last attack.

"That's the hat Shanks and I swore over!" Luffy shouted, making Buggy falter again.

"What?! Meaning this is Shanks' hat?! No wonder it seemed familiar! He always wore this by my side!" Buggy shouted as he threw the hat to the floor. Luffy anger quickly morphed to surprise as he stood and looked at Buggy with wide eyes.

"You and Shanks sailed on the same ship?!" He asked. Pleased to have the boy's attention, Buggy grinned.

"Yeah, back when we were pirates-in-training. We were comrades. That damn detestable red-haired bastard!" He said, stomping on the straw hat, making Luffy's anger return quick as lightning.

"Shanks is a great man! You, his comrade?! Don't compare yourself to him!" Luffy shouted as he charged towards Buggy.

"Bara Bara Quick Escape!" Buggy screamed as he realized he may have gone too far. Instead of Luffy punching him like he had made it look like, Luffy swung his foot forward, kicking Buggy in the stomach rather than his now detached head.

"Never say you and Shanks are comrades ever again!" Luffy told him in anger as Buggy reattached his head.

"I can say whatever I want about Shanks!" Buggy coughed out. Luffy grabbed the man's face, pulling his cheeks as Buggy sweat from the close proximity to a very angry Luffy.

"Tell me! What happened between you and Shanks!" He demanded before dropping the clown and looking to his hat.

"Damn it! How dare you tear up my treasure!" He said in annoyance.

"Do you wanna know that badly?" Buggy asked as he sat up from the ground. He was quick to jump into the story of why he hated Shanks so much, telling Luffy about how he found his devil fruit and why he blamed Shanks for his eating it. Luffy listened on, his anger and confusion rising as he did, and when the story was finally over, he gave Buggy a blank look.

"That's why I won't let anyone who touches my treasure live!" Buggy exclaimed, torso detaching and rising into the air as he held his knives in his hands. Luffy watched him rise, noticing Nami's scent begin to move from behind him.

"Let go of my treasure!" Buggy shouted, his torso flying past Luffy and right to Nami who held a sack of treasure over her shoulder.

"Crap! He spotted me!" Nami yelled as she attempted to run away, Luffy feeling her fear strongly. Instead of chasing after him though, Luffy turned to the lower half of Buggy's body which had been left behind.

"Don't think you can escape me, Nami! I'm going to flashily chop you up!" Buggy screeched as he drew closer, but he never made it as he froze in the air, screaming in pain. Nami, who had frozen when Buggy got too close, peeked her closed eyes open and saw that Luffy had kicked Buggy in the place no one should be kicked.

"M-my balls... balls..." Buggy cried, torso falling to the ground as his legs began flailing in pain.

"You're still dealing with me!" Luffy told the man with a grin. Zoro, who had been watching silently still, winced at the attack, but said nothing.

"Hey!" Luffy called to Nami who looked over to him in surprise.

"Leave that treasure and get out of here! He'll come after you again!" Luffy told her, pointing to the sack.

"No! Leave the treasure and go?! Absolutely not! Why should I have to leave my own treasure behind?!" Nami shouted back indignantly. From the ground, Buggy slowly raised his head.

" _Your_ treasure?!" He growled out.

"Duh! I'm a thief who only steals from pirates, and I just stole from one! Which means this treasure is mine now!" She demanded with an outstretched fist. Luffy nodded, following along with that logic.

"Ah, I see!" He said, placing a fist in his open palm in understanding.

"Nonsense! That's my treasure! Do you think stealing it makes it yours?!" Buggy shrieked.

"Honestly! What kind of upbringing did you have?!" Buggy chastised. Nami gave him an unimpressed look, still not moving from where she stood in front of the man.

"A criminal, trying to lecture another criminal? Ridiculous!" She said, turning her head at that.

"What?!" Buggy shouted.

"I haven't fallen so low that I need to be corrected by pirates!" Nami said with a smile, sticking her tongue out at Buggy at the end only making the Captain seethe.

"I hope you're ready to face the consequences, Nami... Bara Bara... Festival!" Buggy shouted, his entire body breaking into pieces, some of them hitting Nami who dropped the treasure, trying to defend herself. Luffy yelled in surprise as the bottom half beside him broke into pieces as well, all of them flying back to their owner.

"Just try and help your friend if you can, Gum-Gum!" Buggy yelled to Luffy as his body floated around in separate pieces.

"Damn, he broke into even more parts!" Luffy exclaimed. He didn't have a chance to do anything when he spotted Buggy's feet slowly walking back to Buggy himself.

"What the-?" Picking up the foot, he ignored the shouting coming from Buggy and Nami as he worked on pulling the foot out of the boot.

"Coochie, coochie, coo!" Luffy said as he tickled the foot, Zoro sweat dropping and sighing as he watched. Luffy then began pulling on the skin before realizing he needed to move on to more drastic measures.

"Geez, you're stubborn!" Luffy shouted, raising the foot into the air before slamming it into the ground. Behind him, Buggy screamed in pain, turning to look at him.

"Knock it off!" He shouted over to Luffy who only stared back.

"No, you knock it off!" Nami screamed as she swung the bag of treasure at Buggy. The pirate used this to his advantage though, grabbing onto the bag with his two disembodied hands and smiling to Nami, his head also floating by itself.

"Thanks for the treasure back!" He told her with a grin making Nami shrink back in disgust.

"Let go! Let go! That's mine!" Nami shrieked as she began swinging the bag around, trying to get the hands-off.

"Let go?! This is my treasure! You let go!" Buggy shouted at her. Annoyed, he let his hands go, each holding a single knife as they aimed at Nami.

"Die!" He shouted, trying to stab her with them, but was once again interrupted.

"I told you... you're dealing with me!" Luffy shouted, running over and kicking Buggys floating head into the bag of treasure, and admittedly using a bit of haki in the kick, wanting this fight to be over now. The bag ripped open, treasure spilling out all over the place as Buggy laid on the ground, Luffy feeling how much pain the man was in.

"Consider that a kick from the old mayor guy!" Luffy told him with a grin, Nami staring at him on shock from the ground where she'd fallen.

"T-Thanks, I owe you one..." She told him.

"Yeah, no problem!" Luffy told her with a smile before the two of them both realized something at the same time.

"Oh yeah! The map!"

"My treasure!" They said simultaneously, looking towards the scattered treasure to see Buggy's head back up and floating.

"This isn't over yet 11097!" Buggy growled in anger, making Luffy frown at the mention of his number.

"How dare you flashily do this to me! You'll pay for this! Assemble, Bara Bara Parts!" Buggy announced, but all that came back to him was his feet and hands, making him scream in shock. Buggy and Luffy stared at each other, the silence reigning as they both realized what had happened, neither making a move.

"Looking for these?!" Nami asked, tugging a rope that was tied around all of the parts Buggy had disassembled, her foot stepping on them to keep them down.

"My parts!" Buggy shrieked while Luffy laughed joyously, stretching his arms far behind him.

"Way to go thief!" He praised, Buggy's eyes widening in fear as he saw the incoming attack.

"S-stop!" He shouted in terror, Luffy only continuing to grin.

"Go flying, Buggy! Gum-gum..." His arms shot forward, flying past him and right towards Buggy who tried uselessly to defend himself by putting his floating hands in front of himself.

"Bazooka!" Luffy shouted, hitting the pirate and sending him far into the sky, no one able to see him.

"I win!" He cheered, arms raised in congratulations to himself as he laughed again. His first enemy pirate fight on his own and he'd won. Even if the fight had been annoying near the end, he'd still fought a pirate Captain all by himself and won without a scratch.

His joyous mood was quick to change though as he remembered his hat. Walking over to it, Zoro met him at the battered straw hat, the swordsman picking it up and handing it over to his Captain who took it with a frown.

"It's all torn up now..." He said softly as he examined the three large slash marks on the top of it, as well as the cut to the brim and the strings which were now gone after being cut off.

"Oh well. I can still put it on, plus I sent Buggy flying so I'm satisfied." Luffy said, putting the hat on his head with a small smile, still a little sad about the damage. From behind him, he felt Nami's turmoil, a sadness of her own flaring up momentarily before she spoke up.

"It's alright, I'll fix it for you later." She said, looking away with a small frown. Luffy blinked in shock as he and Zoro looked to the orange-haired woman.

"Eh? What?" Luffy asked, not having heard her seeing as she'd spoken too softly.

"Nothing! Hey, anyways, I split it into two bags, so carry half of it! It's too heavy for me!" Nami said louder to him, holding up a smaller bag of treasure to Luffy and Zoro.

"There sure is a lot!" Luffy said as he took in the size of the two bags.

"If anything, Buggy does know quality treasure when he sees it! All this should go for no less than 10 million berries!" Nami said happily, holding the bags to her cheeks. Luffy only smiled to her, feeling actually happy feelings in Nami for the first time since he'd met her.

Under Luffy's gaze, Nami's smile faltered though and she put the bags down, grabbing something from her pocket and holding it out to Luffy.

"Here you go." She said, confusing Luffy as he looked at the roll of paper.

"Eh?" He asked, not taking it yet.

"Its the chart of the Grand Line. Didn't you want it?" Nami asked in confusion, having heard Luffy many times as he adamantly claimed he was going to get the map and go to the Grand Line.

"You're giving it to me?!" Luffy asked in surprise, Nami turning her head away as he did.

"You did save me." She said, Luffy grinning again.

"Thanks, Nami!" Luffy thanked as he took the map.

"I finally got a map of the Grand Line! Hooray! Zoro, look! Look!" Luffy said, holding the map up to Zoro's face. The swordsman backed away from how close Luffy was but smiled.

"Nice work, Captain. I bet there's all sorts of adventure waiting for us there." He said, excited for more fights to come, as well as getting closer to reaching his own goal.

"Oh, does that mean you'll join our crew?!" Luffy asked, remembering that he'd wanted to ask Nami that. Zoro watched the woman, wanting to know her answer too because as nice as it was to have a map, it was useless if no one could read it.

"I told you, I'm never going to join a pirate crew!" She said with her hands on her hips, pausing in her words. Luffy only continued grinning, feeling her emotions were more of amusement then her previous hate whenever she'd said the words before.

"But okay! Staying with you guys seems profitable enough. But I'm only teaming up with you, just so you know! Always remember that!" She told him. Luffy smiled his D. smile and nodded.

"Yeah! Hear that Zoro?! We gotta navigator and a map of the Grand Line!" Luffy said, turning back to Zoro who rolled his eyes.

"I'm standing right here you know. I can hear everything you're hearing." He said, but like with Nami, Luffy only felt amusement coming from the man, making him laugh again.

"Alright, let's get going!" Luffy cheered.

"Now hold on! We have to go help the mayor!" Nami said to Luffy before he could run off.

"Oh yeah! We gotta wake up the old mayor guy now..." Luffy said as he looked over to the still unconscious Mayor.

"You there!" A new voice had all of them looking over to a large crowd of people armed with spears.

"Are you outsiders?!" The man in front asked.

"Yeah... who are you?" Luffy asked in confusion, wondering where all these people had come from.

"We're this towns citizens! Did the pirates have a falling out or something?! If you know anything, tell us!" The man shouted, Luffy Nami and Zoro frowning at them.

"Oh, it's just the citizens! I thought they were more of the pirates..." Nami said, smiling in relief.

"Oh, Mayor!" One of the citizens said as they saw the downed Mayor.

"Oh no! Say something!"

"Hey! Mayor!"

"He's out cold!"

"The pirates definitely did this!"

"How horrible!" The citizens all began talking one after the other. Nami and Zoro both looked away, Zoro whistling innocently while Nami smiled as she sweat. Luffy, however, didn't have the sense to do either of those things.

"Sorry! I kicked that old man's ass!" He said, making both Nami and Zoro stiffen in shock that he'd admitted it.

"What?!" All the citizens asked as they turned to him, anger rising in them that Luffy had to actively block out. So many people, all angry at once, made it harder to do, but he managed it.

"Hold on!" Nami shouted at Luffy in annoyance.

"You didn't need to tell them that, idiot!" Zoro shouted next.

"You two saw it," Luffy told them as he looked over his shoulder at them.

"Yeah, but you had an actual reason-" Nami started, before stopping when she saw the now much closer armed citizens.

"Why did you guys do this to our mayor?!" The man from before asked angrily.

"Don't give us your excuses!" Another shouted.

"Who are you?! Are you with those pirates?!" A third asked. Nami was watching in fear, realizing that the citizens were getting dangerously riled up, many of them holding weapons that could do damage to her.

"We're pirates." Luffy deadpanned honestly, not even trying to hide it. Nami began falling in shock while Zoro face palmed before laughing loudly at his Captain's words.

"Just as we thought!" The crowd shouted in unison

"You idiot!" Nami shrieked, Luffy shying away from the woman who had gotten extremely close in her rage.

"Its the truth!" He said in his defense.

"Pirates!"

"How dare you ravage our town?!"

"We won't show mercy just cause your kids!" Luffy ignored the yelling crowd and turned to Nami and Zoro, walking closer to them.

"What now? Doesn't look like they'll hear us out..." Zoro said, wondering what Luffy had planned next. He grinned to the both of them, his D grin, before running past them.

"Run!" He shouted, laughing as he did. Nami was quick to scoop up her two bags of treasure and follow while Zoro smiled and did the same.

"There's no escape!"

"How dare you hurt our beloved mayor!" The crowd quickly gave chase after the two, Nami looking behind them worriedly.

"Ugh! Why did you make things worse?!" She asked.

"This is a good town!" Luffy told her, confusing her.

"Eh?!" She asked, not knowing why he was saying that all of a sudden.

"Everyone's so mad just for the old mayor guy!" Luffy told her, making her look back with a frown.

"I think they'd get mad at any excuse we give!" Luffy laughed, Zoro nodding in agreement.

"We're turning here!" Luffy suddenly said, smelling the docks as he turned sharply into the alley beside them. Zoro and Nami both ran past it before backtracking, glaring at Luffy.

"H-Hold on!" Nami shrieked.

"Don't say that so suddenly!" Zoro shouted in annoyance. As they ran down the alley, they saw Chouchou at the end of it, sitting there unmoving. Zoro and Luffy both jumped over the dog before they trampled it while Nami ran around it.

"Chouchou!" She said in surprise.

"Dog!" Luffy said with a grin, having smelled the animal there already. They continued running though, and they heard as the dog began barking at the crowd that had attempted to follow them into the alley, stopping them.

"H-Hey! Move, Chouchou! Hey!"

"Those guys are bad pirates!"

"You're barking at the wrong people!"

"Why are you getting in the way?!"

"Chouchou! Let us through!"

"Chouchou!" Chouchou didn't listen though, continuously barking at the crowd as he refused to move. Luffy looked back at him, smiling.

"Later, dog!" He shouted to Chouchou as they reached the end of the alley.

Without having to worry about the crowd anymore, the three slowed their pace, and eventually, they reached the docks.

"That was scary! We managed to escape thanks to Chouchou!" Nami said, wiping the sweat from her forehead after placing the two bags of treasure in front of her.

"Why do we have to deal with this?" She asked, tired after everything she'd been through today.

"Does it matter now? We're done here anyway..." Luffy said to her.

"Maybe so, but-"

"Hey is this your boat?" Nami was cut off when Luffy spoke instead, realizing they were standing in front of a different boat than his.

"It's great!" Luffy said as he admired it.

"I don't think it's so great. I stole it from some idiot pirates." She said, hands on her hips as she looked at the boat.

"That's a big mouth ya got!" A voice said from the boat, three of Buggy's pirates poking their heads up.

"Been waitin' for ya thief girl!" The man said as they stood up.

"Never thought you'd run into us here, didja?!" The other pirate asked. Nami, still smiling, laughed nervously at them.

"You know them?" Luffy asked, feeling the recognition in Nami, but also the nervousness.

"Yeah... sort of!" She said, Luffy feeling it was the truth.

"Not sort of! We're bound by fate! So, you had friends, huh? Guess we'll hafta punish you too!" The pirate said as he and the other two stepped off the boat and looked to Luffy and Zoro. Once they took in Zoro, however, they jumped back in shock, all three of them screaming in fear.

With that, the three pirates ran off without another word, Luffy watching in confusion.

"What was that about?" Luffy asked, Nami also confused.

"Idiots being idiots," Zoro said with a shrug. Luffy and Nami shared a look before shrugging as well and getting ready to leave.

Luffy and Zoro got their small boat, tying it to Nami's larger boat and setting off together. With the sails down, they could see that Nami's ship was painted with Buggy's jolly roger.

"Isn't that Buggy's mark on your sail there?" Zoro asked from his and Luffy's boat. Nami, who stood on her boat, shrugged.

"Well, this is his boat. I'll get rid of it sometime!" She said nonchalantly.

"Hey! Wait! Young'uns!" A familiar voice shouted from the port they were slowly drifting away from.

"The old Mayor guy!" Luffy said as they all turned to look.

"Thanks! We're in your debt!" The Mayor shouted to them, tears falling from his eyes, but Luffy could feel that they were happy tears.

"Don't worry about it! Take it easy!" Luffy yelled back with a laugh.

"Hey, wait a minute, where's the other bag of treasure?" Nami asked as she looked for it.

"Oh, I left it behind," Luffy told her with a smile.

"What?! You left one of my treasure bags?!" She shouted, leaning over her boat's railing as she yelled at Luffy.

"Yeah."

"Just one is worth five million berries you know!" She screamed, leaning even further over the railing.

"But they need money to fix their destroyed town, right?" Luffy asked.

"That was my treasure!" Nami shrieked, leaning even further to the point that she was almost butting heads with Luffy.

"Do you know how much I suffered trying to steal it?!" She asked, grabbing Luffy's head and dunking him into the water in between their ships.

"Why did you do that?!" Nami asked in anger.

"Stop! I can't swim!" Luffy shouted whenever his head was above water. Even though that was true after a certain point, Luffy was mostly unpleasantly reminded of when Haru would shove both he and Ace into water tanks over and over.

It was harder to push those memories back then it should have been.

"That's the point!" Nami shrieked above him.

"If you want it, go back and get it then!" Luffy shouted, wanting to get out of the water, because every second he was forced into it, the harder it got to keep the memories back.

"I can't do that! You go there!" Nami shouted.

"No! Wahh, that's dangerous! I could die, you know!" Luffy shouted back, almost at the point that he couldn't hold it back anymore. Zoro began laughing behind him, finding it all amusing, and finally, Nami let him go. He collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily and staring at the sky in relief, happy to be out of the water.

He wouldn't let the others know how much that had bothered him.

"Do that again and I really will throw you into the ocean!" Nami warned.

"Well, for better or worse, looks like a navigator joined our journey," Zoro said as he looked to the sky as well.

"Mm." Luffy hummed in agreement, smiling lightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Orange Town is over! Buggy has been defeated and Nami has joined- for now at least.
> 
> As mentioned in this chapter, Luffy didn't fight with haki because he wanted at least some of a challenge seeing as he- a New World Pirate- is in the East Blue- the weakest of the seas. His strength compared to everyone else's is enough to end fights before they even begin, hence the restriction he's placed on himself. I feel like Luffy would get bored if he wasn't able to have at least a little bit of a challenge while going through the East Blue.
> 
> Also, weekly chapters will be ending now. Even though this whole pandemic thing and isolation is still happening, I want to pace myself seeing as these chapters take up a lot of time to both write and edit. Hopefully sometime in the future I'll be able to continue weekly updates, but for now, it's back to biweekly.
> 
> Thank you all for the comments, kudos and subscriptions! You all spoil me with the love and support you show me and my stories!
> 
> Stay safe! I'll see you all in two weeks!


	6. Captain Usopp's Grand Entrance!

Time passed by slowly, but Luffy didn't mind. Back when he was on the Moby, there were always so many people- so many things happening at once- that it was always chaotic; and sometimes even overwhelming. Now that he was on his own- only sailing with two other people- it was much calmer and more peaceful then it had ever been in all his time on the Moby.

Of course, there were pros and cons to both situations, and he loved both everyone on the Moby as well as his two new friends here equally. It was just different was all.

The two boats slowly sailed across the ocean, Nami telling them that they should reach the next island by tomorrow. This meant that Luffy had to entertain himself until then, though. Nami was still on Buggy's ship, not having come over to their smaller boat at all, and Luffy decided he wouldn't go bother her over there unless she wanted him to. Even though she'd agreed to come along with them, Luffy knew she was still apprehensive and cautious of them, so he would leave her alone.

However, that meant he was on a smaller boat with not much room for activities like he'd wanted. Zoro didn't seem to mind, the man napping against the railing in the sun, and Luffy decided that he wouldn't mind a nap either. He had had a long day after all, what with getting carried away by a bird, being thrown in a cage, fighting a lion, some pirates, and Buggy, and then finally running away from the citizens of the town.

It'd been a long, eventful day, so a nap would be a welcomed joy right now.

Jumping off the bow, Luffy moved to sit against the railing, tilting his hat over his eyes so that it would shield them from the sun, but then he was reminded of its tattered state when the sun leaked through the slashes on the top of it. He frowned, taking the hat off and looking at it carefully, feeling the edges of the torn straw.

"If... if you give me that, I can sew it back up for you," Nami said with a slight hesitance from her boat. Luffy turned to her in surprise, blinking as he took in the woman's emotions. Looking from his hat, then back to her, he grinned.

"Really?!" He asked excitedly, pleased with the idea that the hat could be fixed.

"Mm." Nami hummed, holding her hand out over the railing towards Luffy who handed over the hat.

"It's really that important to you?" She asked as she pulled out a needle and thread, sitting against her railing as she got to work.

"Yeah! It represents a promise I made a long time ago! It's my treasure!" Luffy said, beaming as he thought of Shanks. Nami looked over her shoulder at him and eyed his expression carefully before turning back to the hat.

"You should be more careful with it then." She said matter-of-factly. There was a silence as Luffy watched Nami work, leaning on his railing and watching the careful needlework as the redhead worked. It was nostalgic, reminding him of when he would watch Izo work on sewing up his ship brothers' clothing- sometimes even his own clothes.

Eventually, the navigator finished up, putting her supplies away and handing it over to Luffy who cheered.

"You fixed it!" He called out happily, holding the hat in the air and noting that there were no more tears in it.

"I only sewed it back together. If you're too rough with it it'll rip again, so be careful." Nami said, holding the needle in her mouth as she put the string in the bag.

"Thanks!" Luffy said to her, and Nami was about to tell him it was no problem- she did owe him after all- but then Luffy poked a hole through the recently patched up hat, looking to her as he sucked in his lips.

"Idiot!" She shouted, leaning over the railings and poking him in the forehead with the needle she'd yet to put away.

"Ow! You poked me with the needle!" Luffy cried, rubbing his forehead.

"I know! It's the only way I can hurt you!" She said as she took the hat back to fix again.

"Oh. You're right." Luffy agreed, understanding now why she'd done it. Nami sighed in irritation while Zoro peeked an eye open at them.

"Stop all that yelling, I'm trying to take a nap," Zoro told them, closing his eye again and resuming said nap. Luffy looked to him and laughed quietly to himself before settling against the railing as well, arms behind his head as he looked at the sky. It was quiet again, only the sound of the waves hitting their boat breaking the silence while Luffy waited patiently for his hat to once again be fixed.

A few minutes later his view of the sky was blocked as the hat was pushed over his eyes.

"There. If you rip it again, I'm not fixing it." Nami said, crossing her arms as she looked at Luffy with a stern look. The teen lifted the hat up from his eyes, noticing the hole he'd created was gone once more and beamed, nodding to Nami.

"Right! Thanks again Nami!" He told her, the girl only huffing and disappearing into the cabin of her boat, leaving Luffy with a sleeping Zoro.

Deciding to take the nap he'd planned on taking earlier, Luffy pushed the hat over his eyes again, smiling as no light peeked through this time.

It was some time later that the peaceful air took a quick turn.

With a start, Luffy woke up, his eyes wide and breathing slightly heavier. He had a moment of panic when he saw how dark it was, his mind telling him that he was back in the dark cells, back in the facility, back with the doctors, with Haru.

Before he could panic too much though, he felt his hat and realized that was what was blocking his vision. There were only two presences near him, both relatively calm in comparison to him, and when he felt that, he remembered where he was and what was happening.

Lifting his hat up, he saw Zoro lounging still, though now he was awake and looking to the sky. Nami was nowhere to be seen, so she was most likely inside her cabin still, but Luffy didn't mind. He'd had all the confirmation he needed to remind himself that he was out on the open ocean, free from the Marines, and free from the facility.

Taking a few calming deep breaths, Luffy stood and went to his bag, Zoro's eyes turning to watch him as he did. Ever since the swordsman had joined, he hadn't seen Luffy touch the bag once despite the fact that it'd been with them the entire time. It had merely sat at the end of their small boat untouched.

Luffy knelt down, opening the bag and searching through it, pushing aside the pirate fund from Ace and the folder of his medical history from Whiskey. Resting at the bottom of the bag was the mini den den to the Moby, as well as Luffy's latest journal. His many other ones were all left behind on the Moby seeing as they were full and he had no use for them. He grabbed the journal, but before he closed up the bag he saw a small tube with a cork on it. Looking at the tube for a minute Luffy finally reached into the bag and grabbed it, closing the bag afterwards and standing.

"What's that?" Zoro asked, eyeing the tube as he watched Luffy walk back over to where he'd been napping previously. Luffy looked to Zoro, then to the tube, and held it out to the swordsman.

"It's smelly stuff. If I go to sleep and don't wake up, open this and put it under my nose. Don't put it too close though or else I'll hit it and spill it when I wake up." Luffy told his swordsman, his face emotionless as he held out the tube to Zoro.

The swordsman raised an eyebrow at that, wondering what Luffy was talking about, but grabbed the tube regardless.

"If you don't wake up? What do you mean?" Zoro asked, because that sounded ominous, as if Luffy was going to die or something.

"Sometimes when I go to sleep I don't wake up. Whiskey- my doctor back on the Moby- she made that so people could wake me up when I couldn't." Luffy said as he sat down, opening his journal and beginning to write down his latest nightmare. Zoro watched Luffy another moment before shrugging and putting the tube in his pocket, careful to make sure that the cork stayed on.

Even though he was still confused, had more questions, and wanted to know what the heck made Luffy, _'not wake up'_ , the look on Luffy's face told him that it would be better if he didn't ask.

So he didn't.

**_/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_ **

"It'd be reckless to go straight into the Grand Line now!" Nami said to Zoro and Luffy, the two lounging on their boat. Luffy turned to look at her from where he sat on the bow, an apple core in his mouth which he pulled out.

"Yeah, some meat would be nice to have first." Luffy agreed, before eating the apple core whole.

It was the next day now, the sun high in the sky, and Luffy was still amazed by how nice the weather was in the East Blue compared to the New World.

"Eating nothing but fruit every day is no good..." He continued as he looked at the barrel of apples that they had onboard.

"Need some booze, too!" Zoro added. Right after the last word left his mouth he was hit by an apple thrown at his head.

"What're you talking about?!" Nami asked. On the bow Luffy caught the apple that had bounced off of Zoro's head before it could fall into the water and ate it. Zoro in the meanwhile looked to the redhead who was tossing another apple in her hand, a look of annoyance on her face.

"That's not what I mean! The Grand Line is the most dangerous place in the world!" She told them, Zoro listening with a blank look while Luffy continued eating.

"Actually, I think the New World is the most dangerous place in the world." Luffy corrected, munching on the apple. Nami blinked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she looked to Luffy.

"The New World?" She asked.

"Yeah, the second half, right after the Grand Line. The New World is much worse than the Grand Line, which is why the Grand Line is nicknamed Paradise in comparison." Luffy said, having both of his companions' attention as he spoke.

"I almost forgot who I was traveling with..." Nami said, wilting slightly as her fear sparked up again. She still couldn't quite believe Luffy was a former Whitebeard Pirate in the East Blue and she was willingly traveling with him. Hopefully, he was enough of an idiot that- when the time inevitably came- she would be able to trick him and leave without issue.

"That reminds me, you said you left the Whitebeards crew, right?" Nami asked for clarification. Luffy nodded, eating the apple core of the apple he'd just finished.

"So does that mean you're not on good terms with them anymore? Are they gonna come after you or something?" Nami asked, having been wondering about that for a while now. She didn't think any pirate crew would take kindly to deserters, especially the strongest man in the world. Zoro looked to Luffy in curiosity as well now, interested in what the answer would be. He hadn't thought of that before- Luffy had made it sound like he was still on good terms with his previous crew, but he hadn't exactly asked him outright.

It would be nice to know whether they had to worry about the world's strongest crew coming after them so soon in their journey.

"Pops? Nah, they said they were gonna let me do this on my own. They're still my family, and Pops said he'll help out if I need anything, but I don't want him too." Luffy told them. Nami sighed in relief and Zoro nodded, smiling and feeling a slight relief himself.

"Well regardless, we need more people if we're going to be traveling the Grand Line. It may not be as bad as the New World, but that doesn't mean it'll be a walk in the park! The lack of crew members and equipment, not to mention we don't have a proper ship. There's no way we could survive like this!" She exclaimed as Luffy looked back to the ocean in front of him.

"Yeah, we need a cook. And a musician." Luffy said with a smile.

"A musician?!" Zoro laughed, wondering why that was one of Luffy's priorities.

"You're so stupid..." Nami said in defeat, wilting again. Looking out to the water she sighed.

"A little to the south of here is an island with people living on it. It'd be best if we can get ahold of a real ship there..." Nami said as she looked at her map.

"Alright! Time to eat some meat!" Luffy cheered, arms in the air as he smiled widely.

"Don't forget the booze!" Zoro added with a smile of his own.

"You idiots!"

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"Finally on dry land again..." Zoro said with a yawn, stretching his arm out over his head as he did. Luffy was looking around the beach excitedly while Nami examined it much more carefully.

"There's a village past here?!" Luffy asked Nami seeing as she had the map.

"Yeah. It looks like its a small one, though..." She said as she looked to her map.

"Wahoo! In that case, meat, meat! Meat, meat, meat!" Luffy cheered, running over to Nami to get a look at the map himself.

"There's a place to eat in this village, right?!" Luffy asked excitedly, mouth salivating at the thought of eating actual meat again rather than fruits.

"Forget about the meat for a minute, will you?!" Nami asked with a ticked-off expression on her face. She leaned her whole body away from Luffy, hugging the map closer in a poor attempt at getting him to back off. Zoro, who was still yawning and stretching behind them, suddenly perked up, eyebrow-raising as he looked to the forest.

"Huh? Careful, I think someone's nearby." He said, hand on his sword hilt as he pushed the sword out slightly. Luffy looked away from Nami now, stretching out his haki and realizing Zoro was right.

"Oh, yeah, there is! Hey, you, where can we get some meat?!" Luffy asked, surprising everyone as he looked to a section of the shrubbery up on the cliff. Instead of words, he was met with a barely audible shriek and then a barrage of pellets that came flying at his feet. Luffy was able to dodge all of them with ease while Zoro turned to watch in surprise and Nami ran for cover by the boats.

Once the barrage was over, one after another, pirate flags began raising in the shrubs, and even though Luffy knew there was no one holding them, it still amazed him.

"So cool!" He shouted out with a giant smile.

"Is this the time to be impressed?!" Nami shouted from the cover of the boat. From where Luffy had noticed a person earlier, a laugh came. Someone was standing there now rather than hiding, arms crossed over their chest as they stood confidently, but Luffy could feel that they were fairly nervous and scared.

"I am Usopp, leader of the great pirates who reign over this village! People praise me- and then me more- as 'Captain Usopp'!" At the man's bold announcement, Luffy's awe disappeared and instead, a look of confusion took over his face as he felt the lies coming from the man.

"If you're thinking of attacking this village, then forget it! My 80 million subordinates won't sit by quietly!" Usopp shouted, arms outstretched beside him, gesturing to the many flags still waving around him. Even though he could still feel the lies, he couldn't help being drawn in by them, that awe quickly returning. Instead of calling the man out on his lies, Luffy instead pressed his hands to his face as his jaw dropped.

"Awesome!" He shouted out while Zoro raised an eyebrow at him and Nami sighed as she shook her head, not scared anymore.

"It's obvious he's lying." She said, leaning casually against the boat.

"Yikes! She saw through it!" Usopp shrieked out, Luffy's awe disappearing.

"See, I told you." She said with a mischievous grin, making Usopp squirm.

"I admitted it to her!" He cried to himself.

"Yeah, but it still sounded cool!" Luffy said, Zoro and Nami realizing now that the boy had known all along that the man was lying.

"Even he knew!" Usopp cried louder, falling to his knees.

"Curse you crafty tactician! 80 million may have been an exaggeration, but I do have great men under my command!" Usopp shouted, his false confidence back as he sprung back to his feet, gesturing to the now moving flags. Luffy didn't feel any lies this time, and that only caused his awe to return. Again, even though he could only feel three other people in the bushes.

"Yeah, maybe three people," Nami said, still grinning slyly, and Luffy briefly wondered if she had cool powers too, or even haki.

"She saw through it!" Three kids screamed as they stood from the bushes, each holding two of the flags in their hands.

"R-run!" They shouted, dropping the flags and turning tail as they ran off.

"H-hey you guys! Don't run away!" Usopp shrieked, eyes bulging in shock and beginning to sweat.

"I've never heard of pirates using slingshots before!" Nami said as she picked up one of the pellets from the sand, looking at it with a smile. Luffy laughed, turning to look at Usopp.

"You're neat!" He said before laughing some more. He meant it too, because even though he could feel the fear and nervousness in Usopp, the man was still putting a brave front on in front of them.

"Hey, you! Don't you insult me! I'm a very proud man! Because of my great pride, people call me, 'Proud Usopp'! You saw it yourself just now!" Usopp said as he took his slingshot out again and readied a shot. Up until the last part, Luffy hadn't felt any lies in Usopp, and again his smile left his face, watching the man with a blank look, hands on his hips.

"My slingshot skills are far greater than your average pistol!" Usopp continued, still pulling the band of his slingshot back, ready to fire at any moment. Luffy shadowed his eyes with his hat before speaking.

"Now that you've drawn your pistol, are you ready to put your life on the line?" Luffy asked, shocking Usopp and the others with his sudden seriousness.

"Eh?" Usopp asked, frowning a bit.

"I'm saying those aren't for threatening people," Luffy said. Zoro's face changed to a smirk as he turned from his Captain to look at Usopp, readying his sword again.

"What you're looking at now are real pirates!" Zoro called to Usopp, sending him a menacing look. There were a few moments where all Usopp did was hold his slingshot ready, staring at the two pirates in front of him that were far more intimidating then he had thought they'd be for only two people. Dropping the pebble he'd held to the ground and letting the now empty sling go, Usopp fell to his knees, sweating profusely.

"R-real pirates definitely have way more punch behind their words... Awesome..." Usopp muttered quietly. Zoro and Luffy looked at each other briefly after that before they both burst out laughing.

"We stole those lines!" Luffy told Usopp with a smile now.

"Eh?" Usopp asked in shock, leaning forward as if he hadn't heard them correctly.

"From Shanks, a pirate I respect!" Luffy continued, but could both feel and see Usopp's surprise grow.

"S-Shanks?! You know Red-Haired Shanks, the great pirate?!" Usopp asked incredulously, leaning back in shock.

"Yeah. Your dad's Yasopp, right?" Luffy asked, recognizing Usopp's name from the many stories Yasopp had told him.

"Eh? _EH?!"_ Usopp shrieked, this time leaning too far forward in his surprise and tumbling down the cliff landing in front of Zoro and Luffy who looked down at him.

"Yeah, Yasopp is my old man... But how do you know that?" Usopp asked as he sat up, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he frowned.

This is when their small group of four decided having this conversation, as much fun as it had been, would be easier if the newcomers were fed- namely Luffy. That's how they all ended up inside a small restaurant cleverly labeled Meshi.

Luffy happily ate yet another plate of meat while Zoro finally got all the drinks he wanted and Nami finished her normal human-sized plate of food. Usopp sat at the end of the table, eating his own food as they all smiled and enjoyed themselves.

"Good, huh?!" Usopp asked, his mouth full as he spoke. Following his example, Luffy didn't even bother swallowing as he spoke.

"I met him when I was a kid!" Luffy said, answering Usopp's earlier question of how he knew Yasopp.

"So my old man's on Shanks' ship?" Usopp asked with a smile, eager to hear more.

"Yep! You guys look the same, so when I first saw you, I wondered..." Luffy told him, finally swallowing the bite in his mouth, but promptly taking another.

"Really?! My old man's on such an awesome ship?!" Usopp asked, looking towards the ceiling dreamily at the thought.

"I saw him a couple of years ago too. He was still with Shanks then, so I bet he's still with him now. After all, your dad was a good sharpshooter!" Luffy said as he picked up an apple next, remembering back on Dawn Island when he'd watched Yasopp shoot an apple off of a barrel.

"Usopp, I heard enough about you to make my ears sore. Yasopp is a great pirate." Luffy admitted, still smiling as he spoke, apple in hand. The long nose man leaned in closer to Luffy, grinning ear to ear.

"Yeah, huh?! I'm proud of my old man, who leapt onto these possibly endless seas to live with his life on the line!" Usopp said, Luffy feeling every bit of pride coming from the man as he'd implied, making his own grin widen.

"Then that makes this easier!" Nami said with a smile from where she sat across from Luffy.

"Do you have any friends in this village who know how to sail and anyone who can supply a big ship?" She asked once she had Usopp's attention.

"As you can see, its just a tiny village... Sorry, but we can't live up to your hopes." Usopp said, resting his cheek against his head as he looked to the ground, smiling nervously as he spoke.

"On top of the hill," Zoro started, Usopp stiffening in surprise and looking to the man.

"There was a huge mansion." The swordsman continued, looking out the window towards where he knew the hill to be. Luffy ate his apple quietly, watching as he felt Usopp's nervousness increase.

"Say! Do you know them, Usopp?! Think you could ask them to help pay for one?" Nami asked hopefully, hands clasped together in front of her as she smiled. A sudden wave of protective anger came over Usopp, causing Luffy to falter in his next bite as he blocked the feeling from influencing him, surprised by the suddenness of it.

"You can't go there!" Usopp shouted, Nami and Zoro looking at him in surprise while Luffy finally calmed down, putting the apple down. Usopp seemed to realize his outburst and yelled out, sweating as he smiled and looked away.

"I-I just remembered something I hafta do! I have lots of influence here! Eat and drink as much as you want! Alright! Later!" Usopp told them hurriedly as he stood from the box he'd been sitting on at the end of the table. With that he grabbed his bag and quickly ran out the door. Nami leaned out of her seat and turned to watch him leave, but Luffy was unconcerned, picking his apple up and continuing to eat it as if everything that had just happened was normal. He'd felt Usopp's lies, but he'd also felt the fear too, and the fact that Usopp had been so protective over this hill house made him realize there was probably something important to him there.

Anyways, Usopp was an interesting person, and if Luffy wanted to talk to him again he'd just follow his scent and find him that way.

"Why is he in such a rush?" Nam asked in confusion. Seeing as she wasn't going to get any answers though, she merely shrugged before turning back to the table and grabbing an apple of her own to snack on as she waited for Luffy and Zoro to finish their meals.

Well, in Zoro's case it was mostly just drinks.

Some time passed as they sat there, chatting amongst themselves, when they were interrupted.

"The Usopp Pirates have arrived!" Luffy looked to the doors at the three children he recognized by a scent from earlier, each holding a tiny wooden sword pointed their way. Nami turned again to look at the door, confused as to what was happening.

"Who're they?" She asked as she observed them.

"The Captain is gone!"

"You don't think he-" The front-most child ran up to their table, wooden sword still raised in the air as he addressed them.

"H-hey pirates!" He started, his friends running up behind them while Luffy drank from his mug, smiling to himself.

"What'd you do with our Captain Usopp?!" The one in front asked them, the same protectiveness in him that had been in Usopp earlier, along with his fear and nervousness.

"What'd you do with him?!" The other two shouted in unison, the same feelings in them that were in the first child. Done with drinking, Luffy set the mug down, smiling widely as he leaned back and patted his stomach.

"That meat was yummy!" He said contentedly, ignoring the children.

"Meat?!"

"Don't tell me the Captain-"

"W-what?! What did you do?!" Nami laughed to herself as she realized what the children were thinking and beside her, Zoro grinned wickedly, cheek in hand as his elbow rested on the table.

"If you're lookin' for your Captain..." Zoro started, giving the children a menacing grin now.

"...we ate him." He said in a scary voice, the three children screaming in terror.

"Old hag!" They shouted, looking at Nami with wide bulging eyes as they did, making the navigator's anger flare.

"What're you looking at me for?!" She yelled back at them angrily. Luffy blinked in confusion, not understanding what was happening.

"You just had to say something stupid!" Nami yelled at Zoro next who only shrugged and drank from his mug again. After everything calmed down and was explained, the children relaxed, realizing it had been a joke. When they were told that Usopp had run off on them, they realized now where he must be, telling the three pirates- or in Nami's case, ally for the moment- as much. Seeing as they were curious as to where the long nose man had went, they went with the children to the giant house on the hill, Luffy's suspicions confirmed that Usopp had a connection to the place.

"Huge!" Luffy said in awe as he took in the size of the house.

"If our Captain ran off at this hour, he'd be here." One of the children, Onion, told them.

"Oh? What's he come here for?" Luffy asked curiously, wanting to know what was so important at this place. Did Usopp live here? That'd be cool! Maybe he would show them around and he could explore the inside of it!

"To lie!" One of the other children, Carrot, said as if it were obvious.

"That's a bad thing!" Nami scolded as she leaned towards the child.

"He's not bad! He's great! Right?!" Pepper asked in defense of his Captain making Nami look at him in surprise.

"Yeah! He's great!" Onion agreed.

"How's that work?" Zoro asked in confusion. Beside him Luffy was equally confused. He'd never known lying to be a good thing, but the three children weren't lying to him and that only confused him more.

"Kaya, the girl who lives here, is weak, and she's had depression ever since her parents died from an illness a year ago. Even though she has lots of money she's so sad. So our Captain tells his special made-up stories to make her laugh! 'Cause our Captains the best at telling lies!" Carrot said, Luffy understanding now.

"Oh, so he's great!" Luffy determined.

"Yeah!" The children agreed with smiles.

"I like the Captain's meddling side!" Carrot said.

"I like his bossy side!" Pepper said next.

"I like his exaggerating side!" Onion finished.

"So that's helped her feel a little better?" Nami asked, also more understanding now then she had been before.

"Yeah, a lot better!" Pepper said to her.

"Great! Let's ask her for a ship after all!" Luffy announced with a big smile.

"Its thanks to Usopp that she's gotten better," Zoro said, arms folded over his chest as he grinned too.

"It tough just to get in!" Onion said.

"There are way strong guards at the gate!" Pepper agreed, everyone looking towards said guards, not noticing that Luffy wasn't with them anymore.

"Huh?" The children asked as they looked back to find Luffy gone.

"Where'd Luffy go?" Nami asked, hands on her hips as she frowned at the empty spot beside her.

"I'll go ask!" Luffy told them from the top of the fence that he'd climbed, everyone shouting in surprise.

"Wait, you're not gonna-?!" Zoro started, watching as Luffy's grip tightened on the top of the fence, his Captain letting his body fall backward as his arms stretched.

"Gum Gum..." Luffy started, ignoring the fear from the children as they screamed, not knowing of Luffy's abilities.

"H-his arms stretched!"

"He's a monster!"

"Pardon..." Luffy started shouting in advance to anyone who might be on the other side of the fence. Sabo taught him enough manners to know he shouldn't just barge in without announcing himself first.

"Hey!"

"Wait, Luffy!" Everyone yelled as they ran towards him, grabbing him in an attempt to stop him, but it was futile.

"... the intrusion!" Luffy finished as he flung himself- as well as everyone who'd grabbed him- into the air and over the fence.

"Yahoo!" Luffy yelled out as he began getting closer to the ground. Usopp was visible to him now, the man sitting on a tree branch beside a window. Spotting the rubber teen, Usopp began yelling in fear, eyes wide as he watched the straw-hatted teen grow quickly closer to him. Luckily, he- and everyone else- landed just a few feet beside him. Zoro and Luffy landed on the paved walkway, Nami in the grass, and the children in the bushes.

"That worked great!" Luffy said, his voice muffled due to his face being smushed into the now cracked and destroyed walkway.

"Did not!" Nami yelled to him, her adrenaline making her heart pump quickly and her legs feeling like jelly due to her fear.

"A-are you alright?!" A woman's voice asked in concern.

"Yeah! It's okay, it's okay!" Usopp reassured the woman with a nervous smile.

"They're new recruits who heard all about me and came from afar to join the Usopp Pirates!" Usopp told her as he sweat nervously. Luffy didn't need to feel it this time to know the man was lying. Finally, Luffy stood up, readjusting his straw hat on his head as he did.

"No, not me! I'm here to ask a favor!" Luffy said honestly to the woman who was leaning out of her window to look at him.

"A favor? Of me?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah! We want a big ship-" He stopped suddenly as he felt someone with darkness start heading their way, making him frown moments before he heard them speak.

"You, there!" They said. Luffy turned ever so slightly to see a man in a suit walking over to them with a frown.

"What are you doing?!" He asked them as he grew closer. Luffy shifted, stepping so that he was in front of his crew and the kids, not wanting to allow the man to get any closer to them than he already was. A quick check told Luffy that the man's aura was a darker grey then Morgans had been, and he wondered if he was just unlucky to find so many dark auraed people so soon.

"Klahadore..." Kaya said from her window.

"I don't appreciate you breaking in here without permission!" The man- Klahadore- told them as he adjusted his glasses with the palm of his hand rather than his fingers. Luffy continued to frown at the man as he assessed him. Kaya knew him, that much was obvious, but he wondered how someone as innocent as Kaya, a woman with a bright blue aura, knew a man with such a dark one like Klahadore. The man even had hints of the darkness inside of him, just barely there, but there none-the-less.

Things had just gotten interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! I don't know what it was about this chapter, but I couldn't stop editing bits and pieces of it! Every time I thought I was finally done with it I would spot more mistakes and confusing sentences that needed changing. Hopefully all of that editing was useful and I didn't go overboard with it to the point that this chapter isn't any good.
> 
> In any case, we're now at Syrup Village, we've met Usopp and the gang, and Klahadore has made his appearance. Not only that, but Zoro was entrusted with the smelling salts in case Luffy gets stuck. How that works out will be determined in the future.
> 
> Also, I've been told that so far these chapters are basically just following canon word for word, which is true. At the moment we are following canon so closely, you may as well be watching the show. As we go on though, I will be drifting farther and farther away from canon until this story is just as The Devil Wears White had been and you all are reading completely new scenes and adventures. By the time we're going into the Grand Line, we'll already start seeing more of that, but as for right now, I will still be following canon closely, but hopefully not so close as to lose your guys' interest. Because of those comments though- which I thank you a billion for leaving by the way; it's comments like those that let me know how to grow as an author- I'm going to try and make this story feel brand new compared to canon.
> 
> Thank you so much once again for the reviews! Constructive criticism is extremely welcomed, and I thank those of you who wanted to help me grow by leaving such thoughtful reviews.
> 
> Until next time, everyone stay safe!


	7. Tentative Friendships

Luffy eyed the well-dressed man carefully, careful to make sure none of the kids got closer to him. The dark aura and feeling set Luffy on edge, and he was debating whether he wanted to outright fight this man or let him be.

"Actually, Klahadore, these people are-" Kaya was interrupted as Klahadore adjusted his glasses again, speaking.

"That can wait for now. I can hear all about your reasons later." He said while Luffy glanced over to Kaya's window. He didn't feel any empathy, love, or caring in Klahadore towards Kaya, yet his words and tone suggested he felt otherwise.

The man began stepping forward again- closer to Luffy- and the teen stiffened, his frown deepening.

"Now leave, all of you! Or do you have something to say?" Klahadore asked them, stopping in his advances towards them. Luffy refused to speak to the man and behind him Nami was glancing between him and Zoro. Gathering up enough courage, the navigator stepped forward a step.

"Actually, we were wondering if we could get your help. We need a ship-"

"No!" Klahadore told her, not waiting for her to finish as he adjusted his glasses again. Nami frowned at that but didn't speak again, Luffy once again making sure that everyone was safely behind him.

"Usopp-kun!" Klahadore announced, looking to the tree Usopp had been in moments ago, though now the man was nowhere to be seen.

"I've heard all about you. You're well known in the village." Klahadore continued as Usopp finally climbed hesitantly back onto the branch, smiling nervously.

"Y-yeah?" Usopp asked with a nervous chuckle, Kaya watching on worriedly.

"I hear you've been on many adventures. Quite impressive for someone so young." He said, and again, the man's feelings contradicted his words. Instead of actually feeling impressed by this, he was filled with annoyance. Darkness.

"You can call me Captain Usopp, too! Since you admire me so much!" Usopp called back, standing proudly on the branch.

"Captain, huh... I've heard all about your father, as well." Klahadore told him, adjusting his glasses.

"What?!" Usopp asked, guarded now in contradiction to the smile he'd worn seconds before. Luffy's fists tightened at his side.

"Klahadore! Stop!" Kaya yelled, frowning now as well.

"You're nothing but the son of a filthy pirate! Nothing you do will surprise me, but I ask that you stay away from the lady of this house!" Klahadore yelled back, Luffy's eyes shadowed by his hat as his own anger began rising.

"F-Filthy?!" Usopp asked, his anger visible on his face.

"And what's so wrong with that? For someones parent to be a pirate?" Luffy suddenly asked, surprising everyone as he spoke for the first time since Klahadore had arrived. Klahadore's attention turned from Usopp to Luffy now, frowning.

"Everything, of course. Pirates are money hungry- greedy- and will do anything they want as long as they benefit from it. Its only common sense that their children would do the same as well. Usopp, for example, is from a completely different world as Miss Kaya. I'm sure he only hangs around her for money. So, Usopp? How much is it that you want from her?" Klahadore asked, Luffy's blood boiling at the answer.

"That's enough, Klahadore! Apologize to Usopp-san!" Kaya shouted angrily leaning even more out of her window.

"Hey, now, be careful Kaya!" Usopp said worriedly as he noticed just how far Kaya was leaning out now. Unlike Klahadore, Luffy could feel Usopps concern for the woman, whereas Klahadore had none of that despite his words.

"What reason is there to apologize to this savage man, my lady? I am merely stating the truth." He said as if he couldn't comprehend how he was in the wrong.

"Liar," Luffy told him, his frown never letting up. Again, everyone looked his way, a tension filling the air as they noticed the look on Luffy's face.

"And who exactly are you to call me a liar?" Klahadore asked, looking down on Luffy as he adjusted his glasses.

"Monkey D. Luffy," Luffy said, eyes still shadowed by his hat, only his frown visible. It was Klahadore's turn to frown, and Luffy could feel both the recognition and the hint of fear beginning to form in the man.

"Monkey D. Luffy? You wouldn't happen to be 11097, Whitebeard Pirate Monkey D. Luffy, would you?" He asked, eyeing Luffy carefully now. Behind him, Kaya gasped and Usopp began sweating, jaw-dropping at the words.

"Yeah, that's me." The teen said, the fear in both Usopp and Klahadore rising while Kaya was merely shocked, though a little worried now.

"And what is a Whitebeard doing here in the East Blue? I'm sure there are much bigger and better islands to go and torment then this one." Klahadore said carefully, the greed flaring again inside the man.

"I'm not apart of Pops' crew anymore. I'm starting my own." Luffy said, eyes finally unshadowed as he looked Klahadore in the eyes. There was silence now, Zoro watching Klahadore just as carefully as Luffy was while Nami looked around nervously, not really wanting to get into a fight at the moment. Usopp was still in shock along with Kaya, and the children were glancing between Nami, Zoro, and Luffy, wondering if they should run away from them or not.

"Is that so? I must ask again that all of you leave the premises immediately, pirates or not. I will not allow you to corrupt Miss Kaya's mind any longer." Klahadore said boldly, despite knowing Luffy was a Whitebeard now- knew how strong he was.

Another moment passed, Luffy glaring at Klahadore while the man stared back, neither blinking. Eventually, Luffy consented, moving to leave. Nami, Zoro and the children began following suit when Klahadore suddenly spoke again.

"Honestly, I feel for you Usopp," He said, noticing that Usopp had been about to leave as well. Everyone paused at this, looking back at the man in confusion, Luffy feeling that he was once again lying- and not the good kind like Usopp.

"You must truly hate your great idiot of a father for abandoning you and the village because of his lust for treasure!" He said to Usopp. There was a feeling in the man that told Luffy he was trying to rile up Usopp, but he didn't need his ability to feel emotions to figure that one out.

"Klahadore!" Kaya shouted, taken aback by how mean the man was being.

"Don't you dare insult my father anymore!" Usopp shouted in fury, his past shock and fear gone as he jumped off the tree branch, falling safely to the ground thanks to a grappling hook he had in his back.

"Usopp-san!" Kaya called as she leaned to watch Usopp walking over to the man.

"What are you getting unnecessarily riled up for? Why not simply tell another of your special lies at a time like this? About how your father is really a traveling salesman, or how your not really related by blood-"

"Shut up!" Usopp cried out as he rushed forward, punching Klahadore in the face and knocking the man to the ground, his glasses flying off his face. Luffy wasn't able to tell if he was feeling Usopps anger or his own, his fists clenched tightly at his sides as he watched, forcing himself not to interfere as he tried taking deep breaths. This time they weren't working as well as they usually did.

"Captain!" The children called out in surprise as Klahadore moved into a sitting position and put his glasses back on.

"S-see! You immediately resort to violence! Like father, like son!" The man spat, but even though his words were said with anger, Luffy could feel the satisfaction in him, happy that he'd been punched rather than angry like he made it seem.

"Shut up!" Usopp shouted again.

"I'm proud that my father is a pirate! I'm proud that he's a brave warrior of the sea! You're right, I am an exaggerator! But I'll never lie about my pride to be related by blood to a pirate! I'm the son of a pirate!" Usopp yelled loudly, and finally, Luffy was able to let the anger leave him, instead feeling proud of Usopp, deciding that he was another person he wanted to help like Nami and Zoro and Coby.

"Captain..." Carrot muttered softly.

"A pirate, a brave warrior of the sea? That's quite a twisted way of putting things..." Klahadore said with a chuckle as he stood back up, dusting his suit off.

"But you're the undeniable proof of his savage blood! You run around spouting lies, and act violent whenever you're angry! And to top it off, you cozy up to the lady of this house so you can get her fortune!" He accused, adjusting his glasses as he looked to Usopp.

"What?! I only-!"

"The fact your father is a pirate is more than enough proof that you'd hatch such a scheme!" Klahadore yelled, cutting off Usopp, and this time Luffy felt a strange truth to the man's words that made him curious because he was saying them to Usopp, but it felt like he was directing them somewhere else.

"Damn it, you still won't let up?!" Usopp yelled as he grabbed Kuro by his shirt, raising a fist in preparation to throw another punch.

"Stop, Usopp-san!" Kaya shouted from her window, dangerously close to falling out. Usopp froze, anger still on his face as he held himself back.

"Please, no more violence! Klahadore isn't a bad person! He's just-, He's just trying too hard to do what's best for me!" Kaya said, Luffy knowing that she was wrong about that. Not only was this man anything but a good person, but not once during this whole encounter had Luffy felt any affection from the man towards Kaya.

It stopped Usopp however; the long nose mans grip loosening on Klahadores shirt as he let him go, hand falling.

"Leave this place! Never come near this mansion again!" Klahadore said as he slapped Usopp's hand away from him.

"Yeah, I get it. I don't need you to tell me!" Usopp said as he dropped his fist now, walking past Klahadore as he left.

"I'll never come back here again." Usopp finished before disappearing.

"Usopp-san..." Kaya said softly, Luffy feeling her sadness as she watched him go. Suddenly, the kids ran past Luffy and towards Klahadore, making him blink in shock for a second.

"You stupid butt-ler jerk! Our Captains not that kind of guy!" Carrot shouted angrily.

"Yeah! You stupid head!" Pepper shouted, fist raising in the air.

"Stupid-head!" Onion echoed. Not liking how close they were to the dark auraed man, Luffy walked over to them, gently guiding them away from him.

"Let's go. I don't like stupid heads." Luffy told them, glaring to the man one more time before leaving, the kids walking with him but turning to stick their tongues out at Klahadore.

Nami and Zoro followed after them, and it took every ounce of self-control Luffy had not to turn back and deck the butler in the face. Once they'd walked far enough, everyone stopped to sit on the side of the dirt road. Nami sat on the top rung of the wooden fence nearby while Zoro and the kids sat on the ground against it. Luffy, still feeling angry, decided it would be best to go for a walk and look for Usopp, leaving without saying anything to anyone.

Smelling the air, it was easy to find the long nose man's scent, distinctly smelling of gunpowder and paint. The scent led him through the town and through a wooded area which immediately began calling Luffy's name. Climbing into the first tree he saw, he decided he'd travel that way from now on, Usopps scent still clear to him from up there. Jumping from tree to tree his body slowly relaxed until he was grinning, as if everything with Klahadore hadn't happened.

When he found Usopp, the teen was sitting on the cliff's edge, watching the ocean. Jumping into the tree closest to the man, Luffy walked out onto a branch above the long nose man and let his body hang.

"Yo!" Luffy greeted, face to face with Usopp as he hung upside down. Usopp shrieked in surprise and fear, leaning away from Luffy.

"Here you are!" Luffy said, still hanging.

"Oh, it's just you! At least say something, will ya?!" Usopp yelled, calming slightly.

"So, what, do you want something?!" Usopp asked, and Luffy could feel that the man was still annoyed and angry from what had happened at the mansion.

"Not really," Luffy told him, placing his hands on the ground and releasing his legs from the branch. Now balancing solely on his hands, he walked on them a few times before falling.

"Oww..." He whined, despite not actually being hurt. There was a second of silence before Usopp spoke up again, voice resigned.

"That damn butler... insulting my dad like that!" He said, staring at his lap. Luffy, who now sat in front of him- his back to Usopp- nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I hate that guy too!" He agreed.

"No matter what anyone says, Yassop was a great pirate!" Luffy continued, frowning as he leaned back on his hands, watching the sea lazily moving below them.

"Yeah, huh?!" Usopp asked eagerly, a smile on his face and negative emotions gone as he moved beside Luffy, smiling to him.

"In this day and age where pirates are everywhere, I'm proud of my old man for living with his life on the line at sea! Yet, that bastard stomped all over my pride! He'll pay for this!" Usopp said, the frustration returning as he stood, fists clenched at his sides. Silently, Luffy agreed with him, because there was no way he'd leave here now knowing there was someone with a dark aura here. Especially when his new friend Usopp was still here.

"But you're not gonna go see the girl anymore?" Luffy asked instead, turning his head to look at Usopp. The long nosed man stiffened, his fists unclenching before he crossed his arms and looked away.

"Y-yeah, I dunno... If that butler comes and apologizes to me, I might consider it." Usopp said, Luffy feeling his turmoil. Feeling something else though, he turned, spotting said butler and another guy down on the shore below them.

"That butler?" He asked, pointing to them. Usopp looked, hands on his hips, and nodded.

"Yeah, that butler... What's that butler doing out here?!" Usopp shouted in surprise, falling to the ground and pushing Luffy's face into the ground as he did.

"Ow! That hurts!" Luffy whined, voice muffled by the ground, but again, not actually hurt. If anything, it was only mildly uncomfortable.

"Hey, Jango. I told you to avoid doing anything to make you stand out. Yet you go and sleep in the middle of the village..." Klahadore said, addressing the man with him, his voice drifting up to the two eavesdroppers.

"Don't be stupid. I don't stand out one bit. I'm not weird, either." Jango said defensively, one leg bent at the knee as he held his open jacket in one hand and his hat with the other.

"There's someone else with him. A weird guy..." Luffy said to Usopp as they watched.

"Never seen him before. Who is he?" Usopp asked, mostly to himself as he continued holding Luffy's head down, though no longer in the ground like he'd done before.

"So, preparations for the plan are ready, I hope?" Klahadore asked, making Luffy frown at the darkness that rose in the man.

"Of course. We can start anytime... The Rich Girl Assassination Plan!" Jango announced loudly, Usopps anger rising at the words and Luffy's frown deepening. Even though this Jango person didn't even have grey in his aura, he was still going along with this butler guys plan apparently, one Luffy could tell already was no good.

"A-assassination?!" Usopp asked.

"Don't call it an assassination, Jango. That has a bad ring to it." Klahadore reprimanded.

"Oh, right. Accident. It's an accident." Jango agreed.

"Accident?! Assassination?! What are these guys up to?!" Usopp asked in a mixture of fear, anger, and worry.

"We can't simply kill her. Miss Kaya must perish in an unfortunate accident. Don't mess that up!" Klahadore told the man as he began walking away. Jango sat on a rock, hands now in his pockets.

"So basically, on your signal, the men and I storm the village and kill the girl. And then you'll get her inheritance..." Jango said, reciting the plan, to which Klahadores frustration rose and he turned back to Jango.

"You fool! You do not understand a thing! How would I, and outsider, inherit Kaya's estate?!" He asked, his own hands in his pockets.

"You'll work hard to?" Jango asked, making a pose as he did.

"Working hard won't amount to squat. Listen, this is the most important thing! Before you kill her, you'll use hypnosis to make Kaya write her will to say, 'I leave my entire fortune to my butler, Klahadore!'" He said, pointing a finger in Jango's face, his greed and darkness continuing to rise, making Luffy increasingly uncomfortable.

"Only then will I inherit her enormous fortune... in a completely ordinary manner... I've spent three long years gaining the trust of everyone around me so that it would be unsurprising for her to leave her inheritance to me." He finished, Jango standing.

"Three years as a butler for that, huh... But you sure scared us back then Captain Kuro. Three years ago, you suddenly said you were giving up life as a pirate. In no time flat you set up a subordinate to be your double, then let the world see Captain Kuro get executed. So that was the very beginning of this plan. You truly are Kuro, Man of a Thousand Plans." Jango praised, but Klahadore, or Kuro rather, was only annoyed by it.

"Don't call me that. I abandoned that name three years ago. I now want to obtain great sums of money without the government on my back. In other words, I'm a pacifist." Kuro said with a grin, Jango laughing at the words. Luffy didn't know what pastfish meant, but whatever it was, he could feel the lie from Kuro as he said it.

"Some pacifist you are, killing off an entire rich family for this 'peace' of yours." Jango laughed.

"Hang on now, the father's death was real. I hadn't planned on that." Kuro admitted. Jango shrugged, shoving his hands back in his pockets.

"Well, whatever. It doesn't matter. Anyways, hurry and give the signal. We've been sitting in the waters near here for a whole week now. The men are starting to grow impatient." Jango told him.

"Ah, that reminds me." Kuro said, his good mood changing as he frowned.

"It seems there's a Whitebeard pirate on this island." He said to Jango, the mans eyes bugging.

"A-a Whitebeard?! On this island?!" Jango nearly screeched. Kuros frown deepened, but he didn't remark on the outburst.

"Yes. According to him, he's left the Emperor's crew to start one of his own. As it stands now, it doesn't seem like he should get in the way of our plans so try and avoid him will you?" Kuro requested, his frown never letting up. Jango only blinked, trying to process everything he was hearing, but eventually he nodded quickly.

"Y-you don't have to worry, Captain Kuro! The guys and I will steer clear of anything and anyone that could stop your plans!" Jango reassured. Kuro sighed at the overt display of false confidence but nodded.

"This is seriously bad!" Usopp whisper shouted. Beside him Luffy glanced to the long nose man, feeling his turbulent emotions and blocking them the best he could. He didn't like what he was hearing anymore then Usopp and the fact that Kuro had both the dark feeling and aura made him ready to attack him any second.

"Captain Kuro is said to be the smartest and most brutal pirate of all! Word had it the navy caught and executed him three years ago, but Captain Kuro is alive! As Klahadore the butler! They're gonna attack the village. Kayas in danger too! Bad! This is seriously bad!" Usopp said, voice slowly getting louder and his emotions becoming stronger to the point they were starting to influence Luffy; the teen began feeling Usopps anxiety and fear start taking hold in himself as his hands started shaking slightly.

Because he was suddenly so focused on forcing the feelings out, forcing himself to realize it wasn't his anxiety or fear he was feeling, but instead Usopps, he didn't notice as Kuro and Jango both left the shore, leaving Usopp and Luffy alone on the cliff's edge.

Usopp was still talking to himself, slowly getting louder, but Luffy forced himself to ignore it. Take deep breaths. Focus on your own emotions- not other peoples. Deep breaths.

A few minutes passed and Usopp was standing now, announcing how he had to do something, warn the villagers and Kaya, but before he could run off to do so Luffy stopped him, standing and grabbing the long nosed mans shoulder. Finally, Luffy's second-hand anxiety and fear were gone, instead replaced with his previous anger towards Kuro.

"H-hey, what're you doing?! I have to go warn Kaya and the villagers before its too late!" Usopp said worriedly to Luffy, his fear almost taking hold of Luffy again.

"Don't worry, we'll stop them before they can hurt anyone," Luffy said with a serious face.

"We? Wait, how are we going to do that?! You heard them, that was Captain Kuro! A real pirate! With a real pirate crew!" Usopp shouted, making Luffy pout.

"Hey, I'm a real pirate too! And it might not be big, but I have a crew too!" Luffy said indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest. Usopp blinked at him once before shrieking and backing away from Luffy quickly.

"Ack! I forgot! Klaha- Kuro! He said you were Monkey D. Luffy, that Whitebeard pirate everyone was talking about!" Usopp shouted in a new fear, realizing Luffy himself was probably a bigger threat than Kuro and his crew combined.

"Well, yeah, but there's no reason to be scared of me." Luffy pouted again, hating that that was always everyone's reactions.

"S-scared?! I-I'm not scared!" Usopp said, trying to stand tall, but his legs were trembling beneath him.

"Liar." Luffy deadpanned, making Usopp 'eep' in fear at being found out so easily.

"It's not like I'm gonna hurt you or anything. You're my friend. And that Kubo guy is a bad guy who I want to fight." Luffy explained in hopes of calming the teen. It didn't seem to do much, but Usopp did at least stop shaking, though he was still very obviously wary of Luffy.

"Kubo? You mean Kuro? Of course, he's a bad guy, we just overheard his plan to kill Kaya- _Ack!_ They're gonna kill Kaya! We have to go stop them!" Usopp shouted, the conversation going in circles now.

"I already said we will! Geez, don't you know how to listen?" Luffy asked in annoyance, huffing as he grabbed Usopps wrist and began dragging him towards where he could smell Nami and Zoro. As they walked Usopp continued sputtering out nonsense, trying to free his wrist from Luffy's grip, but to no avail. By the time they were walking down the road Luffy knew his friends were on, Usopp had stopped struggling as was allowing himself to be dragged, though he hadn't stopped talking nonsense the entire time.

"Oh, Luffy, you're back!" Nami said as she hopped off the fence.

"Captain!" The children called as they ran over to Usopp happily. Luffy let go of the teens wrist at that, trusting he wouldn't run off now, and walked over to Zoro and Nami.

"So you were with that guy then," Zoro said, he and Nami having guessed as much earlier.

"Yup. We heard that that butler guy was a bad guy, so we're gonna beat him up." Luffy said to the two, only confusing them.

"Wait, what? What butler guy? Klahadore?" Nami asked, trying to figure out who they were supposedly going to beat up and why.

"Yeah, but his name isn't Klaha- whatever, it's actually Kudos," Luffy told them, Usopp face-palming behind him.

"Kuro. His name is Captain Kuro, the Man of a Thousand Plans." Usopp said. The children weren't there anymore, but that didn't matter to Luffy, or Nami and Zoro for that matter as they both raised their eyebrows.

"Captain Kuro?!" Nami asked in surprise, having heard of the man herself.

"I thought he died a few years ago," Zoro said in confusion.

"Yeah, but he didn't. That's not the point. The point is, he's a bad guy, so I'm gonna beat him up before he can hurt the villagers and that girl in the big house." Luffy said, wondering why everyone cared so much about the details.

"Now hold on a second! Ok, so that butler is actually a pirate, but he's been working as their butler? Why? And why are you beating him up now?" Nami asked, not understanding. As much as she hated pirates, Klahadore, or Kuro, didn't seem to be causing any harm here. In fact, no one even knew he was a pirate.

"He's planning on killing Kaya and stealing her fortune! His crews on their way here once he gives the signal and they're gonna attack the village!" Usopp told them worriedly.

"Ok, let me get this straight. So Klahadore, Kaya's butler, is actually a pirate Captain named Kuro." Nami started, Usopp and Luffy nodding.

"And his plan this whole time was to take Kaya's money," Zoro said next, the two nodding again.

"So he's going to kill her and attack the village." Nami continued, her words met with more nodding.

"And all we have to do is beat them up and stop them." Zoro finished, Luffy and Usopp nodding once more.

"Alright, I'm in," Zoro said with a shrug, Luffy smiling at that.

"So what's the plan?" Nami asked with a sigh, not seeing any way around this. She didn't want anyone getting hurt, and if that meant they had to fight some pirates, then so be it.

Besides, think of all the treasure she could get.

Luffy laughed, grinning widely as he put his hands behind his head.

"No clue!" He said, despite the situation they were in. Nami and Zoro facepalmed at this while Usopp watched them with wide eyes, not having expected this.

"You guys... are going to fight with me? Why?" Usopp asked, trying to fight tears from forming.

"I already told you, they're bad guys, and I like you, so of course I'll help you," Luffy said as if it were obvious- and really it should be by now, he had told him this a bunch of times before.

"Yeah, and 'scared' is written all over your face," Zoro said to him.

"M-me, scared?! I'm perfectly okay with lots of bad guys or whatever! Because I'm Captain Usopp, Brave Warrior of the Sea!" He boasted, though his legs were shaking.

"Damn it! This isn't a show! These are Kuro's pirates we're dealing with! Of course I'm scared! What's wrong with that?! I don't want your sympathy! You guys can leave! Leave!" Usopp shouted to them.

"We ain't laughing! We're helping 'cause we want to and you're a good guy!" Zoro said, annoyed that Usopp wasn't getting it.

"As if we'd risk our lives because of sympathy!" Luffy told him, equally annoyed. This seemed to finally reach Usopp as he stared at them, legs stopping in their shaking as the tears came back, this time falling down his face.

"Oh... you guys..." Usopp cried.

"But I call dibs on all the treasure!" Nami yelled, Luffy laughing at that and Zoro smiling. With that, Usopp stood taller, hands on his hips as he grinned.

"No problem! In that case, Captain Usopp knows exactly what we can do! It's still early which means we have time to prepare! The ship still needs to get here, and that means they'll have to dock at the beach, but we'll be ready for them!" He boasted, Zoro and Nami listening in interest while Luffy watched with wide eyes.

"Now, here's the plan!" Usopp said as he turned to the slope leading towards the village, walking over to it while everyone else followed.

"Alright, they're going to attack from this shore at daybreak. But the only route into the village is this one slope. Everything else is cliff, making it tougher to come through. In other words, if we can defend this slope to the death, the village wont get attacked!" He explained, walking up the slope with the three until they were at the top.

"Oh! That's easy!" Luffy said cheerily.

"Talking about it is, but the rest depends on our strength! What can you guys do?" Usopp asked them because he didn't really know the three all that well. They'd only met earlier that morning after all, and the only thing he really knew about them was that they were pirates, and in Luffy's case, he was a notorious criminal.

He tried to will away the fear as he remembered that, tried reminding himself that Luffy was, thankfully, on his side.

"Cut."

"Stretch."

"Steal."

"I can hide," Usopp said after everyone gave an answer.

"You're gonna fight!" The three yelled at Usopp who paled, tears forming as he sweat.

"I'm just kidding! Geez!" Usopp cried, though Luffy felt the lie.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

Sometime later, the four were admiring the work they'd done. In front of them, there were three barrels spilling oil from them, slicking the slope up to the point that anyone unlucky enough to step on it would slip and fall instantly.

"Alright! Perfect!" Usopp said with a smile, hands on his hips.

"Now they won't be able to climb up this slope, thanks to all this oil we've laid out here! We'll let 'em slip and slide on this slope, then beat the crap out of 'em while they flail about!" Usopp grinned, obviously pleased with his work.

"Oil, huh..." Nami asked, she and Zoro moving closer to it.

"No matter what, we will protect this slope!" Usopp said.

"Conversely, let's just hope that none of us slip down there," Nami said. Luffy, who was sitting on the ground near the oil, began carefully stepping on the oil, testing it.

"It'd be like diving right into an ant-lion pit." The navigator told them.

"I'm amazed you came up with this!" Luffy said, turning his head to address Usopp.

"But of course! When it comes to plans and slingshots, I'm utterly confident!" He boasted, crossing his arms over his chest and standing tall. Everyone smiled to him at his words, finding it nice to see the man when he wasn't so scared all the time.

"Well anyway, it's still early in the morning. They won't be here until daybreak tomorrow, right?" Zoro asked, Usopp nodding.

"Then we should make sure that no one comes over here and slips down there before then." The swordsman said, sitting against the cliff wall as he did.

"You're right. We should set up a watch, that way we can make sure Kuro himself doesn't find this or anyone from the village." Nami agreed.

"I can stay first." Zoro offered, eyes closing as he rested against the wall.

"I'll go next. Luffy, you can go after me and then Usopp. We'll switch off every two hours." Nami decided, everyone nodding in understanding.

"Bye Zoro! See you later!" Luffy said with a smile and a wave as he stood up, leaving with the others. Zoro nodded their way before closing his eyes, relaxing further against the cliff wall.

"Well, what now?" Luffy asked after a minute of walking.

"Well, I'm going to go look around for a bit. It'd be a good idea to think about restocking the boats with food before we leave here and seeing as you and Zoro don't have money of your own, I'll have to pay for it. Of course, with a small fee. You understand, right?" Nami asked Luffy sweetly, and he could feel the rising greed, the almost ill intentions despite her nice-sounding words, but he shrugged it off, more excited over the prospect of free food.

"Yeah!" He told her, Nami grinning widely at that.

"Leave it to me then. See you guys later." She told them as she turned her course towards the village. With the woman gone now, it was only Usopp and Luffy left, and because of that, Luffy was focused solely on the long nose man's emotions, the man's worry and fear rising again and making him sigh.

"You don't have to be so scared all the time you know," Luffy told him, hands behind his head and stance casual as he walked. Usopp looked to him in surprise, blinking.

"S-scared?! What makes you say that?!" Usopp asked hesitantly, trying to smile and sound normal but failing miserably.

"I can feel it. You don't have to be scared of me. Or those pirates. We'll fight 'em all and keep everyone safe." Luffy said confidently as if he knew for a fact what the outcome of this fight would be. Honestly, he kind of did, knowing that it was extremely unlikely that he'd find anyone too threatening in the East Blue, the weakest of the seas.

"You can feel it?" Usopp asked in confusion, not having expected that to be Luffy's reasoning for knowing. He knew that sometimes he wasn't the best at hiding his emotions- lying desperately to hide it instead- but Luffy hadn't said that he saw it, he said he'd _felt_ it.

"Yeah, your fear, and your worry. Oh, and I guess your confusion now too." Luffy said, having no qualms about sharing this with the man.

"What do you mean? How can you feel that?" Usopp asked, wondering if Luffy was lying to him, but if he was it was extremely convincing.

Wait, hadn't the news about Luffy been that he was crazy? A mental hospital escapee?

"I just... can. That doesn't matter though. What matters is it's alright, everything's going to be fine." Luffy said reassuringly. Despite the words though, Usopp couldn't help but still feel that way, skeptical of Luffy's so-called ability to feel his emotions.

"So is it just my emotions you can feel?" He asked instead, momentarily forgetting about the fact that Luffy was a big bad pirate, forgetting the village was going to be attacked by tomorrow morning. It was nice to have a distraction, even if it was a big elaborate lie from the straw-hatted man. Or conversely, a story from a crazy man. Either was a valid option at this point.

"Nah, I can feel everyone's emotions. Zoro's, Nami's, your's, those kids, Kaya's, Kumo's, even him." Luffy said, naming people on his fingers before pointing to a villager that they were walking past.

"What's he feeling now then?" Usopp asked curiously. Even if he didn't believe it, he wanted to keep the conversation going, to keep the distraction going.

"Mm... calm... happy... a little annoyed about something, I think it's directed towards someone he knows," Luffy said, head tilting as he read the man's emotions. Usopp had to admit, Luffy was invested in this.

"What about them?" Usopp asked, pointing to a woman that was sweeping the stoop of her home.

"Oh, she's annoyed to... maybe she's annoyed at the guy then? Ne, Usopp, do they know each other?" Luffy asked, recognizing the similar emotion in the two and the fact it was both directed to people they knew.

"Uh, yeah... lucky guess..." Usopp said, eyebrows furrowing in even more confusion at the accurate assumption. It wasn't proof or anything though. After all, it was a small village; it was only natural people would know each other.

"Shishishi, I think they got into an argument or something. It's not my business though. Marco always told me that people's emotions are their own and I shouldn't tell others about them, but that was mostly because he didn't like when I told people he was lying." Luffy said with a fond smile, looking to the sky.

"Marco?" The long nose man asked, not recognizing the name. Not to mention, it was another piece to this strange story- _lie_ \- that Luffy was telling him. Sure, he told fancy stories to Kaya all the time, but rarely did he add anyone else into them, especially people with names, because if you forgot the name- or used a real person- it was that much easier to be caught up in the lie.

"Yeah, you know, Marco the Phoenix? He was my ship brother back on Pops' crew. Everyone always asked me if he was lying about certain things, and he got annoyed when I told them so he said I couldn't do that anymore because it was an 'image of primary'." Luffy said, confusing Usopp.

"Image of primary?" He asked, not understanding what that meant.

"Oh, wait... maybe it was invision of posture?" Luffy asked to himself, never remembering the correct wording.

"Image...? Invision...? Invasion?" Usopp asked, trying to guess the first word.

"Yeah!" Luffy said excitedly.

"Invasion of... privacy? Was that it?" He asked, again receiving an excited nod from Luffy.

"Yeah! He told me it was an invasion of privacy so I shouldn't tell people what others are feeling. You didn't believe me though- well, you still don't, but I thought you might if I told you." Luffy said with a shrug, not taking it personally that the man wasn't believing his story.

"W-what?! Of course I believe you!" Usopp said nervously, shocked that Luffy had figured that out. He thought he'd played the part of a believer pretty well, but apparently not.

"Liar," Luffy said with a smile, laughing lightly to himself. Usopp gaped at him, not sure how to respond for a moment.

"W-wait, so you can feel people's emotions, but lying isn't an emotion..." Usopp said, trying to find the flaws now so Luffy would crumble and tell him it was all a lie.

"No, but people don't feel genuine when they tell lies, so I always know when they're lying," Luffy said as if it were obvious. Usopp narrowed his eyes at that, getting an idea.

"I'm a millionaire." He said with a straight face and tone, Luffy's smile growing at the words.

"Liar." Alright, maybe that one had been a bit obvious, but he would surely catch Luffy now because there was no way he could really feel his lying.

"My favorite color is red." He said next.

"Liar."

"My favorite food is mushrooms."

"Liar. You hate them."

"How did you know that?!" Usopp asked in surprise, not having expected the last bit of detail.

"Because you felt like you did. Duh." Luffy said as if he were stupid for not realizing that. Usopp blinked, and a small part of him began to believe Luffy now.

"You know, uh... my mom, shes waiting for me. I should go check on her!" Usopp said nervously now, smiling and pointing over his shoulder, because honestly he was getting a little scared now. Luffy pouted at that, arms falling to his side.

"If you didn't want to hang out anymore you could just say so. I told you, I know your lying." Luffy said, a bit sad that Usopp wasn't believing him. This made the man in question stiffen, heart in his throat as he gaped at Luffy, freezing in place.

"B-but... but... that's not possible!" Usopp almost shouted, because, after all of that, Luffy had gotten every answer right, even things that he'd have no way of knowing about Usopp after only knowing him for this short period of time.

"Yes, it is," Luffy told him in response. He was living proof that it was possible.

"N-no! People aren't supposed to be able to feel other people's feelings! I-its... unnatural!" Usopp said, his eyes still wide and legs shaking slightly.

"That's not nice..." Luffy muttered quietly as he frowned. Maybe telling Usopp hadn't been as good an idea as he'd first thought.

"I-I... you..." Usopp was at a loss for words, not sure how to respond as he paled.

What was he saying?! Was he _trying_ to get himself killed?! It was so easy for him to forget that not only was Luffy a pirate himself, but he was a _Whitebeard_ Pirate! He'd had a bounty on his head for years now, and the marines hadn't caught him or his brothers once since they'd escaped the mental hospital. Yet, here he was, practically insulting the man and asking to be attacked.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-..." Usopp stopped talking again, trailing off as he found it hard to form words. His voice was at a slightly higher pitch than normal, his skin almost ashy compared to its usual color, and his legs much more visibly shaking now.

"It's fine. Your scared and I shouldn't have told you about it. Sabo and Ace said normal people get scared of things they don't really understand, so it's my fault. Sorry. See you later Usopp." Luffy said, his frown never leaving his face as he began walking away from him, his movements much slower and somber compared to earlier.

Usopp could only watch him walk away- because for as bad as he felt, that man walking away was still a dangerous criminal that could turn on him at any moment.

That didn't stop the guilt from forming inside him, however.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this isn't at all how I had originally intended on ending this chapter. My first idea was to have Luffy tell Usopp and then by the end of it, Usopp would still be skeptical but they would continue talking together and become better friends by the end of it. As I was writing it though, I kept reminding myself that, well, it's not normal for Luffy to feel emotions and not everyone can be as accepting of that as the Whitebeards had been.
> 
> Usopp himself is a liar- and a scaredy-cat- so to be faced with someone who could see through all of that, with evidence of it, would only scare him even more. Not to mention Luffy's a dangerous criminal in his eyes, which he has good reason to think. Because of this, I feel like he wouldn't be so quick to accept it and move on like Luffy had been originally hoping. Luffy realized just how different people's reactions could be and because he didn't want to continue making Usopp experience negative emotions, he felt the best solution would be for him to leave since he was inadvertently the one causing the emotions.
> 
> Anyway, thank you all so much again for the amazing reviews and help when it comes to writing a stronger Luffy in place of a weaker Luffy! As always, I will see you all in two weeks with the next chapter!


	8. The Black Cat Pirates Attack

After his talk with Usopp, Luffy didn't really know where he was going to go but it didn't matter to him. He walked through the village undisturbed; the villagers' peaceful and happy emotions filtering to Luffy as if trying to make him feel better.

Usually, that would work, because Luffy has a low self-control when it comes to resisting the temptation to let the good feelings in. Now, however, he held himself back. Maybe he'd done it subconsciously, almost like an autopilot, because he'd been told time and time again not to let in good feelings seeing as he was naturally a happy person, and letting in more of the emotions would normally mean he became too excitable.

Because he wasn't letting them in now though, it meant he was left to feel the sadness, the slight pang of hurt you get in knowing someone doesn't like you.

He didn't blame Usopp- he couldn't- because it wasn't the man's fault that he was scared of Luffy. It wasn't his fault Luffy wasn't normal. It wasn't his fault Luffy had told him about his abilities. It was Luffy's own fault, and that was it. There was no one else to blame for it but himself. Well, there was also the facility that he could blame, but that was self-explanatory by now.

On the opposite side of the village, Luffy reached the other slope- similar to the one they'd just finished trapping for the pirates- and walked along the cliff to sit on its edge. He could see his and Nami's boats still sitting in the water- this having been where they'd docked- and was reminded of only a few hours ago when he, Zoro, and Nami had landed on the island and met Usopp. He quickly pushed that thought away though, not wanting to think about anything right now.

Looking to the ocean he took in a deep breath, letting the salty air filter into his lungs and bring him back to days of sitting on the Moby; Ace, Sabo and his many ship brothers all around him and Pops sitting in his throne of a chair nearby. Closing his eyes, he could almost picture himself back there, and when a breeze blew past him, he found himself smiling. If he had been rocking, then it would be exactly like he was back there, save for the fact that it was silent here and on the Moby it was always loud.

He sat there for a while, eyes closed, imagining he was back on the Moby when he had a thought. Whiskey, Ace, Marco, Pops, and everyone else had always said he could call them at any time to just talk. Whiskey especially had said he might experience something that he'd want to talk about, and he was thinking of taking the nurse up on that offer. After all, who better to talk to then the person he'd been telling his every thought and feeling to for the past three years of his life?

Looking back towards their boat, Luffy decided to do just that.

Seeing as he was rubber and didn't need to worry about breaking his bones, Luffy jumped off the cliff edge, not hearing the shriek of terror behind him over the wind in his ears as he landed safely on the sandy shore below him. Because of this, he continued on to the boats without stopping. Once he'd climbed onto his and Zoro's tiny boat, he went over to his bag, rummaging inside of it for the mini den den he knew was in there, finding it quickly and smiling at the familiar white mustache it wore.

Waking it up, he began calling, finding that a smile was quickly forming on his face at the thought of talking to his family again. It hadn't been all that long since he'd separated from them, but it was long enough that he'd begun to miss them.

The snail rang for a few seconds before someone answered, Luffy's smile widening at it.

"Who's this?" They asked which caused Luffy to start laughing cheerfully, already feeling better to hear the familiar voice.

"Haruta! Its Luffy!" Luffy answered, the snail's eyes widening and blinking before breaking out into a smile of its own.

"Luffy! How are you?! What's up? Is something wrong?" Haruta asked, talking quickly and making Luffy laugh more, feeling the muffled excitement coming from the snail- or rather, Haruta.

"Nothings wrong, I just wanted to talk to Whiskey." He said, trying to fight the frown as he remembered the reason for the call.

"Whiskey? Yeah, alright. You're good though, right?" Haruta asked, and Luffy could faintly hear now that he was moving, probably walking to Whiskey now.

"Mm." Luffy hummed, not saying anything more than that. He could feel a skepticism in Haruta, telling the teen that the commander didn't believe him, but he didn't press it.

"How's your adventure going so far, then?" He asked instead, Luffy's smile more genuine now as he thought about something else.

"Great! I already have a crewmember, too! His name's Zoro, he was a pirate hunter, but now he's a pirate! We're also traveling with a navigator, but she doesn't like pirates so she didn't want to join, but that's ok." Luffy told Haruta, proud of his two new friends.

"Oh? I'm happy you're not sailing aimlessly and have a proper navigator! That sure will ease Ace's worrying. Although a pirate hunter turned pirate? Can't say I've heard that before." Haruta said with a laugh, Luffy joining in.

"Yeah, Zoro's really cool! He's a swordsman, like Vista, and he fights with three swords!" Luffy said, stars in his eyes as he thought about how cool his crewmember was.

"Huh, a three sword-wielding pirate hunter turned pirate and a navigator who doesn't like pirates tagging along with said pirates. You sure do attract a strange bunch Luffy." Haruta told him.

"I also met this guy named Usopp, he's got a long nose and lies a lot. Oh, and he's Yasopps kid, from Shanks' crew!" Again, Luffy didn't hear the squeak from the cliff he'd previously jumped off of, focused entirely on his conversation with Haruta.

"Yasopps kid? Really? Man Luffy, I'm beginning to think Thatch was right. You do get yourself into the strangest situations." Haruta said, the snail imitating a head shake at the words.

"Anyways, I'm at the infirmary now, which means I'm gonna have to say goodbye for now," Haruta said as a faint knock was heard.

"Right. See you later Haruta! Tell Ace, and Pops, and Marco, and Thatch, and Izo-"

"I get it Lu," Haruta laughed, making Luffy smile again.

"Tell everyone I said hi," Luffy told him, the snail nodding.

"Will do." With that, there was a muffled conversation as Haruta told, presumably Whiskey, that Luffy was on the line and wanted to talk. Within seconds, the snail was handed over to the nurse, the expression changing to one of worry.

"Luffy? Is everything alright?" Whiskey asked, and Luffy wondered why that was everyone's first question.

"Mm, I just wanted to talk," Luffy said, and even though he was still smiling, it wasn't as big as before. Whiskey seemed to pick up on this, the snails expression softening.

"Alright, let me move to my office." She said, and again Luffy waited patiently as he heard the nurse walk, but shortly after it was quiet.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked him now, the snail's expression still soft and gentle, caring and worry coming to Luffy from the nurse.

"I haven't had any bad days, and I only had one nightmare so far. I wrote about it and stuff, and I was fine. I'm kind of in the middle of an adventure right now, but we're waiting to beat up these bad pirates, and the Captain has the dark feelings. It's not really that strong, but his color's dark too, and he's always feeling the bad type of greedy." Luffy started seeing as that had also been bothering him still as well.

"Are his feelings strong enough to influence your own? Pops isn't there which means you can't filter in more warmth to push the dark feeling away, and I'm assuming whoever you're with so far doesn't possess the warmth." She said.

"No, I've met some people, and I have a new crewmember, but none of them have the warmth. I was able to keep it from bothering me too much, but while we were talking to him the feelings got stronger and I was really uncomfortable. We left a little bit after that though so I was able to calm down, but I was getting really angry and my deep breathing wasn't working like it usually does." Luffy told her with a pout, not liking that the breathing hadn't worked like it usually did.

"Deep breathing doesn't always work, you know that. As much as I wish I had a technique you could use that would always work, I don't. I'm happy to hear that you still practice deep breathing though, and even though it didn't work for you then, I'm sure its helped you other times, right?" She asked, Luffy nodding.

"Yeah..." He mumbled.

"See? It's not always going to work, but its good to try regardless. For the times it doesn't work, you're going to have to work hard to remember calming thoughts. Remember mantras?" She asked, Luffy nodding again at the word.

"Yeah, the things you say over and over." He said.

"That's right. You could start telling yourself mantras while you take your deep breaths and that could help. Maybe something like 'I'm in control of my own feelings', or, 'These feelings aren't my feelings'. Maybe even something else, but whatever it is, you can start telling yourself this, and maybe you'll find it to be as effective as your deep breathing." She said. Luffy smiled at that, happy that he had a plan for the future.

"Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?" She asked, which led Luffy to remember Usopp, making him frown again.

"Mm..." He hummed quietly, leaning against the railing of his boat, eyes shadowed by his hat.

"Its alright Luffy, remember, this is at your own pace. You can talk to me about it if you want, but I understand it may be difficult for you." The nurse said, taking in the snails imitation of Luffy's expression and realizing the boy was going through something.

Luffy remained silent as he thought it over because he really did want to talk to Whiskey about it, but it was different from anything he'd talked to her about. Usually, he talked to her about bad feelings in other people or bad memories or nightmares he had, but he'd never talked to her about someone not liking him. He'd never really had to deal with it before, because even though Marines didn't like him, and most people were scared of him, he'd never had someone who was becoming his friend suddenly dislike him because of his abilities.

"I met... I met this guy..." Luffy began softly, Whiskey patiently listening.

"He's nice and really cool, and I've heard about him before. He's Yasopps, son, from Shanks' crew, and we've hung out a lot today. The pirate Captain with the bad feeling is gonna attack his village, and I told him I'd help him stop them, cause I don't like the captain guy anyway, so I wanted to." Luffy told her.

"I thought we were starting to become friends, but we were walking and talking and stuff and I could tell when he was lying, so I said so, but he wanted to know how I knew, and I told him that I'd felt it. He didn't believe me and started asking me questions about it, and I think he realized I wasn't lying to him, but then he got scared of me..." Luffy said, trailing off.

"I left, cause I didn't like that I was making him scared." He finished, shifting.

"Have you told anyone else about your abilities?" She asked curiously, Luffy shaking his head.

"No. I'm not hiding them, because I don't want to hide it from anyone, but I haven't brought it up. I think Zoro, my swordsman, realized something was weird once, but he never asked about it." Luffy said, remembering when he'd had a similar conversation with Zoro about how he'd known Buggy wasn't down the first time, telling the man he had felt it.

"So this is the first time you had someone you were beginning to view as a friend dislike you due to your abilities." Whiskey said with a sigh, Luffy nodding.

"Friendship is a finicky thing, Luffy. Especially when it's fresh and brand new. You two are still getting to know each other, and I know you haven't had much of a chance to make friends, especially with people your own age. Sometimes people don't take well to things they deem unnatural, and unfortunately, your abilities fall under that category. Sometimes, no matter what we do or how we try, there are just some people that won't like us." She said to him, Luffy nodding in understanding but still bummed about the loss of a friendship.

"On the other hand, there is a chance that you merely overwhelmed him. Give him some time, let him process what you've told him, and if he's as cool and good a person you told me he was, then there's a chance he'll be able to see past the things you can't control. It's as you and I tell Ace time and time again, people that don't like you for things you can't control aren't worth your time." She said, smiling at the end. Luffy smiled as well because he could remember the many times he'd said that to his brother after he'd had too many thoughts and too much anger over people judging him due to who his father was.

"Mm... Thanks, Whiskey." Luffy said, smiling softly to the snail.

"It was no problem Luffy. I hope things work out for you. Oh, and kick that pirate Captains ass, will you?" She asked good-naturedly. Luffy's smile widened and he laughed softly.

"Right! Talk to you later Whiskey!" He told the nurse.

"Goodbye Luffy."

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

Usopp sat in stunned silence, peering over the cliff to Luffy who was sitting in his boat, the mini den den in his hand falling asleep.

When Luffy had left earlier, he'd stood in stunned fear in the middle of the dirt road for a good few minutes before he'd been able to shake himself out of it. He'd wanted to run after Luffy, but his mind continued to remind him that that would be detrimental to his health, that it would be better if he left the dangerous pirate alone. Every time he thought that though, he couldn't help but feel guilty until ultimately, he'd decided he would keep an eye on the man.

After all, it wasn't like he would show himself. He had to make sure Luffy didn't do anything to hurt the villagers. That was all.

So he'd shakily followed Luffy to the shore that the pirate had docked at earlier that morning. He hid in a bush, watching Luffy's back as he sat on the cliff edge, facing the sea. Again, he tried not to feel bad, tried to ignore the thoughts in his head telling him that he was a horrible person for judging Luffy so much even after the teen had been so nice to him.

He was broken from the circling thoughts when Luffy stood-

And jumped off the cliff.

Shrieking in fear, Usopp scrambled out of the bushes. Had Luffy felt so bad after their encounter that he'd commit suicide?! If so, Usopp would feel absolutely horrible, but as he peered over the cliff edge he saw Luffy walking away without so much as a limp.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he watched as the teen went to his boat, rummaging in a bag there before pulling out a mini den den. Dread filled him as he watched- and heard- the call being made.

Oh no, was he going to call the Whitebeards here? Because he hadn't been nice?

Usopp began praying to every God he knew the name of, telling them how sorry he was for judging a book by its cover, and how he'd never do so again so long as Luffy didn't call the full force of Whitebeard here because of his poor reaction.

Again, he was filled with relief when he heard Luffy chatting with someone named Haruta, telling him about his adventures so far, even going so far as to mention him as well. That had made him squeak in surprise, thinking that, surely, this was where he was going to tell them how mean he'd been and demand they come attack the village in retribution.

That still didn't happen though and instead the snail changing to this Whiskey person. Usopp's earlier disbelief in Luffy's so-called abilities was tested again as he listened to the two talk about Luffy feeling Kuro's emotions, making him realize that maybe the teen wasn't lying.

But that was crazy, right?

It didn't seem that way though, because as he listened more- which he knew he shouldn't do, but continued doing anyway- this Whiskey person asked if he'd told anyone else about his abilities, and seeing this person talk so confidently about the abilities made Usopp begin to believe it more.

Neither Luffy nor Whiskey knew he was listening in, so why keep the lie going? What would they gain from it to pretend Luffy could feel other people's emotions?

Usopp was mentioned again, and if he didn't feel bad about himself earlier, he definitely did now. Hearing the woman talk to Luffy in such understanding, hearing her mention how Luffy'd never had friends his age, made him realize how insensitive of the teen's feelings he'd been. The more he heard, the more he began seeing Luffy as a normal person, just like him. Sure, he may or may not have weird abilities- the jury was still out on that one- but all Luffy had done so far was be kind to Usopp, and he hadn't been kind back.

**_/\/\/\/\/\/\_ **

Stepping off the boat, Luffy slowly began walking towards the slope to head back to the village. After his talk with Whiskey, he felt a little better, but now he didn't know what to do. He didn't want to go bug Usopp- Whiskey had told him he might need space- and Nami was busy getting supplies so he didn't want to bother her either. He could go hang out with Zoro and keep watch for anyone coming.

Finding that that was the best idea, he decided he'd do that. Before he could even reach the top of the slope though, he realized that someone was nearby, not having noticed before.

"Usopp? What are you doing here? Oh, wait, space, I'm supposed to give him space. Uh, nevermind!" Luffy said, trying to pretend as if he hadn't noticed the man. From the nearby bushes atop the cliff, there was an eep as Usopp stood in surprise.

"H-how'd you know I was there?!" He asked, and even though he'd just told himself he'd be nicer to Luffy, try and give him a shot, here he was, scared and timid again.

"I felt- uh, I mean..." Luffy trailed off because again, he knew the man was still scared of him- he could feel it- and he didn't want to scare him anymore.

It didn't seem to matter though as Usopp realized what he'd been about to say, hesitating at the realization.

"How long were you there?" Luffy asked instead, curious as he hadn't noticed earlier. To be fair, though, he'd been a bit preoccupied to keep track of his surroundings.

"N-not long! Not long at all! Actually, I just got here!" Usopp said confidently to Luffy, a smile trying to force its way on his face.

"Lia-" Again, Luffy stopped himself, remembering that Usopp didn't like his abilities. He frowned, annoyed with himself that he couldn't remember these things before he started talking.

"Oh... right... well, uh, actually, I... I was there the whole time. S-sorry..." Usopp admitted once Luffy called him out again, even if he'd stopped himself. Besides, Usopp thought that it'd be best to admit it and hope the inevitable beating the pirate gave him wasn't too bad. His legs were shaking again as Luffy blinked at him in surprise.

"I'm still not going to hurt you. Anyways, I'll go sit with Zoro then, so I don't bother you. Sorry." Luffy told the man, shocking Usopp at the apology because shouldn't _he_ be the one doing that?

Luffy started walking again, most likely to Zoro like he'd said, but Usopp forced himself to speak up instead.

"A-actually, I-... Why don't we hang out?" Usopp asked, trying to channel his confidence to hide his fear.

But couldn't Luffy feel his fear? So was it useless to pretend?

"Really?" Luffy asked, now the one who was surprised as he turned back to Usopp with wide eyes. Seeing this, Usopp straightened, smiling as big as he could.

"Yeah! I thought, why not? We're both not doing anything, and sure, I was a little scared of you at first, but you're not so bad." Usopp said, finding that he meant his words more then he thought he would. Luffy's smile widened at that and he almost began jumping in place in excitement.

"Yeah! What should we do?! Oh, we could go eat! Or play a game! Or explore!" Usopp sweatdrop as the now hyperactive teen began listing different activities they could do together, and he began wondering just what he'd gotten himself into.

**_/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_ **

The day passed rather quickly for the group of four. Usopp and Luffy hung out up until Luffy had to take his turn for watch, and by then, Usopp found his fear of the man slowly fading away, realizing that Luffy was a pretty fun guy to be around- pirate or not.

When night came they changed the schedule; three sleeping nearby the slope they'd booby-trapped while one stayed up on guard. They would do so for two hours before getting the next person, and an hour before daybreak they would all get up and keep guard together.

"Its almost daybreak. They'll be coming soon." Zoro said to the others who were stretching and yawning, the sky slowly lightening thanks to the rising sun. Zoro had been the last on guard, so he was wide awake whereas the others were only just waking up.

The four of them stood on that slope, waiting as it got brighter and brighter, yet there was no sign of ships.

"Where are they? The sky's all bright now. What's the deal?" Luffy asked, not feeling anyone getting closer like he had expected.

"Maybe they overslept or something?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. They'll definitely show up. Lots of 'em." Usopp said confidently. Nami suddenly perked up, cupping her ears as she walked forward.

"Say... it might just be my imagination... but I hear 'Yaaah' coming from somewhere..." She said, listening carefully. The three guys looked around as if expecting to see something new, but they couldn't.

"Yeah, I definitely hear it!" Nami confirmed.

"N-now that you mention it..." Usopp muttered.

"What? What is it?" Zoro asked.

"There's a place just like this to the North too!" Usopp yelled, holding his head as he began sweating.

"You don't suppose..." He trailed off and Luffy took a step towards him.

"You mean this is the wrong shore?!" Luffy asked incredulously.

"This is where they had their secret meeting, so I just assumed..." Usopp said with a worried look on his face, his emotions in turmoil again.

"Hey! Let's hurry! They're gonna get into the village!" Luffy said urgently.

"Right! If you run straight North from here, you'll get there in three minutes! The terrain there is almost exactly the same, so we just need to stop them at the slope!" Usopp told them, Luffy listening carefully.

"Don't worry! We'll do it somehow!" Luffy assured him before Nami had a sudden realization.

"Oh no! The North shore is where our boats are! They're gonna take our treasure!" She shrieked.

"Don't worry. I'll be there in twenty seconds!" Luffy told them, crouching and letting his blood begin pumping faster, steam rising off of his body, and his skin turning pink.

"W-what the-?!" Usopp asked in shock, everyone watching with wide eyes.

"Gear second," Luffy muttered, and in a blink, he was gone, leaving the three stunned on the slope. Thanks to his gear second, Luffy was at the North shore within seconds, just as he'd said, and because of that, he was able to see the many pirates congregated at the bottom, all beginning their ascent up the hill. They were all filled with greed and determination as they ran, but Luffy didn't care about any of that as he stood at the top of the slope, glaring at them.

"Hey! There's someone at the top of the hill!" One of the pirates called once they noticed him. Everyone stopped moving as they took in Luffy's figure, and Luffy recognized one of them as the man Kuro had been talking to on the shore.

"You!" They said, looking at Luffy for a minute.

"... Who are you?" He asked after a second, not recognizing Luffy.

"My name's Monkey D. Luffy! I'm not gonna let you attack the village!" Luffy yelled to them, remembering his anger towards Kuro yesterday and letting it filter into his glare, some of the pirates stepping away at the intensity of it.

"You're not going to let us? Oh... I guess we should go then." The man said, the many pirates around him sweat dropping.

"Captain, we can't just leave, remember?" One asked him, the man straightening at that.

"Ah, that's right!" He said as if he'd forgotten what the whole idea for this attack was.

"Captain, shocking news!" Another pirate yelled, Jango turning at that.

"Really?! That's bad!" He yelled.

"No, it's good! We found treasure in those weird boats!" He yelled back, pointing to Nami and Luffy's boats where another pirate was carrying a sack of treasure, showing it to Jango.

"An incredible amount! Maybe 4, no 5 million berries!" He told him.

"What?!" Jango asked in surprise, Luffy's eyes narrowing.

"Oi!" He yelled to them, everyone turning back to look at him.

"That's Nami's treasure. Leave it alone!" He shouted to them. Jango frowned, holding onto his hat.

"You fool, We're pirates, you know. We're obviously going to take this treasure!" He called back. Luffy's glare hardened and he took a deep breath before lowering into another stance.

"I'm a pirate too, and that's why I'm gonna stop you from taking that treasure and hurting this village!" He told them, many scoffing and laughing.

"You?! A pirate?! What are you, 15? You're just a kid!" A pirate yelled to him. Luffy began to grin at that, hat shadowed by his eyes.

"And you're all a bunch of old men who decided to attack the wrong island!" Luffy said, tone low and menacing, making a few of the pirate's worry. Suddenly, behind him, Luffy both heard and felt someone running over and looked to see Usopp, panting and sweating with his slingshot in hand and goggles on.

"Oh, Usopp!" He called, menacing look gone and replaced with a regular smile, making the pirates exhale in relief.

"L-Luffy! What was that thing you did?! You got here so fast!" Usopp said as he put his hands on his knees, panting.

"That? It was Gear Second. Wasn't it cool?! I can move super fast with it!" Luffy said with a laugh.

"Oi, did you forget about us?!" One of the pirates yelled angrily, making Luffy frown again as he glared to him out of the corner of his eye.

"T-they're here..." Usopp whispered in fear, taking in the group of pirates below them.

You ready to fight Usopp?" Luffy asked the teen, voice low again and all joking gone. Usopp nodded, standing tall again.

"I-I'm completely ready to fight!" He said, and despite this, Luffy could see the man's shaking legs, as well as feel his fear. However, he could also feel the determination in him, the conviction and resolve to stand in the way of these pirates and protect his village. With a small smile, Luffy nodded, lowering into a stance again.

"Are you two done talking?! Nevermind, on 'One, two, Jango', you two will let us by!" Jango shouted, holding up a shiny metal ring on a string and letting it swing back and forth in the air. Luffy watched the ring in confusion while Usopp 'eeped' in fear, thinking the ring was a weapon.

"One, two," More running footsteps behind them had Luffy turning to see who else was coming.

"Jan-"

"Who's taking my treasure?!" Nami shrieked with sharp teeth as she came barreling forward, knocking Usopp over while Luffy sidestepped the woman.

"Nami! You're here too! I tried telling 'em it was your treasure, but they weren't listening to me." Luffy told the woman honestly with a smile.

"Captain! This is no time to hypnotize yourself and let people by!" A pirate reprimanded Jango while Usopp stood from the ground.

"That boats treasure is mine! I won't let you have a single berri!" Nami shouted, pointing to the pirates angrily.

"That hurt!" Usopp whined as he brushed himself off.

"You were in the way of my treasure!" Nami said as if it were Usopp's fault.

"You didn't have to knock me down like that!" Usopp said back, Nami frowning and closing her eyes.

"What're you talking about?! After I just saved you!" She said indignantly, Luffy watching in confusion.

"Huh?" Luffy and Usopp asked.

"I forgot to mention it, but don't watch his ring all the way through! He's a hypnotist!" Nami said, pointing to Jango who frowned back at her.

"H-hypnosis?!" Usopp shrieked, looking to the man as well.

"Hypotenuse?" Luffy asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Hypnosis, idiot! He can make you do whatever he says if you look at the ring!" Nami explained, Luffy putting a fist into an open palm in understanding.

"Oh! So don't look at the ring! Got it!" He said with a wide smile, Nami sighing and rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

"Anyways, what was that thing you did back there? You disappeared!" Nami said, still a little surprised by that. Sure, she was able to understand that Luffy was a rubber man and could do some strange, non-normal, things, but what did rubber have to do with disappearing as he had done?

"That was gear second!" He said as if she should know what that meant. As Luffy and Nami talked, Usopp began walking back behind them, slingshot on his shoulder.

"Alright guys, I'll take command here. Go kick their butts! I'll cover you!" He told them, pointing to the pirates who were growing angrier by the second.

"Right! Go ahead Luffy!" Nami said sweetly, her wooden bo staff resting against her shoulder as well as she smiled to the teen.

"You guys aren't gonna fight too?" Luffy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There's no way I can take on that huge army. I'm weak you know!" Nami said to Luffy who gave her a look of confusion.

"But if you fight you'll get stronger." He said as if it were obvious, but Nami wasn't having it.

"If I fight I'll get hurt!" She yelled. Luffy frowning.

"Nah, I won't let 'em hurt you." He said, making Nami and Usopp blink.

"We don't have time to mess with them. Crush 'em and head for the village men." Jango told the pirates who all cheered, Usopp and Nami stiffening in fear.

"H-here they come!" Usopp said as he and Nami took a step back, watching the pirates charge up the slope. Luffy lowered again, fists raised in preparation for a fight.

"Oh yeah! I have caltrops!" Usopp remembered, shoving his hand in his bag.

"Oh! You do have some good stuff! Gimme gimme!" Nami grinned, pleased that it didn't seem like she needed to fight at all. The two held a handful each of the spiky metal pieces, lowering as they got ready to throw them.

"Caltrop hell!" Usopp yelled as he and Nami released them on the pirates, Luffy watching in awe.

"Ow!" All of the pirates shrieked and yelled as they stepped on the spikes, or as the spikes landed on their clothing, poking them all.

"Wow! See, you guys are doing great!" Luffy praised.

"Yes! We got 'em" Nami cheered, she and Usopp grinning.

"Now! Special Attack: Lead Star!" Usopp called as he pulled his slingshot back, taking aim before firing the pellet into a pirates face, knocking him to the ground.

"Bastard!" A nearby pirate yelled.

"Way to go, keep it up now! I'm gonna quit fighting for a bit." Nami praised, patting Usopp on the back.

"You haven't even fought yet!" Usopp screamed as he watched the redhead begin to leave, only to stop short.

"What is it?" Luffy asked as he turned as well.

"There are caltrops behind us too..." She said dejectedly, pointing to the metal surrounding them.

"You moron! You dropped 'em there!" Usopp yelled, not paying attention to the pirates behind him anymore.

"Outta the damn way!" One of them yelled as they swung their hammer back, jumping in the air and planning on hitting Usopp. Usopp paled, realizing he couldn't get out of the way fast enough, and Nami gasped, having the same realization.

"Oi!" Luffy yelled, swinging his fist back and punching the pirate away from Usopp.

"Attacking someone's back isn't fair!" Luffy told the man with an angry expression, Nami, and Usopp both watching with wide eyes. Some of the closer pirates staggered back at the show of strength, but Jango looked undeterred.

"T-thanks..." Usopp said with large eyes.

"No problem. I told you I wouldn't let them hurt you. You're a sniper, right? You stay back and cover us. Nami, we're going down there now." Luffy said, looking to the pirates.

"W-we are?! I already told you, I can't fight!" She said shakily, Luffy only grinning.

"It'll be fine! Besides, you can't go anywhere else, right? Those spiky things are in the way." Luffy said, Nami realizing he was right as she looked back to the caltrops.

"And they still have your treasure, too," Luffy added, spotting the bag that one of the pirates still held near the boats.

"My treasure! Alright, let's do this then." Nami said, lowering and holding her bo staff tightly in her grip.

"Let's go, guys! Captain Kuro is waiting!" He suddenly shouted, the pirates stiffening as they remembered.

"They're about to fight. Ready?" Luffy asked Nami, the girl taking a deep breath before nodding. It was just in time as the pirates began charging up the hill again, swords at the ready. One of them ran right for Nami, swinging the metal weapon towards her which she effectively blocked with her staff. Luffy, after making sure she could handle it, turned his attention to two more pirates heading his way, back bending under the first ones swing and standing on his hands, lifting his feet into the air and kicking the man away before standing again.

The second went to attack him next, but he was able to sway out of the swords way, bringing his fist down on the mans head, making him crumble to the ground. Looking to Nami he saw her block another swing from a sword, but the power behind it knocked her back. Before she could fall Luffy stretched his arm out, steadying her before she could hit the ground. She blinked in surprise, watching as Luffy's arm snapped back to his side, but was forced to face her opponent again as he got ready to attack again.

"Special Attack: Lead Star!" Usopp yelled again, the pellet hitting Nami's opponent in the face and knocking him back enough that Nami could right herself. Gripping her staff, she swung it back before swinging it forward and into the man's stomach, throwing him to the ground.

"Hey, you guys! Quit bothering with them and get going already!" Jango yelled in annoyance from where he still stood on the shore.

"B-but Captain Jango, these guys are strong!" A pirate called back, eyeing the three teens wearily.

"Have you forgotten Captain Kuro's plan?! We have a schedule to keep! If anything happens to throw off his plan, he'll kill every one of us!" Jango yelled, scaring the pirates enough that they got a second wind.

"Do you understand that?!" The man asked, the pirates sweating as they looked to each other.

"H-hey now,..."

"Yeah, hurry to the village!" With a roar, the pirates began running again, reaching the top of the slope where they stood. Nami shrieked in fear, because she could barely handle the one pirate, much less the tens of pirates running at her now.

"D-damnit, that's not good! They can't get to the village!" Usopp said worriedly, legs shaking again.

Luffy, however, didn't look worried in the slightest, instead lowering again and throwing his leg back.

"Gum Gum Whip!" He shouted, swinging his leg out and knocking the front row of pirates back, starting a domino effect as they knocked down the next few rows. No longer were the pirates at the top of the slope anymore. Now, they were all knocked back to the shore where Jango stood. Usopp paled at Luffy's strength, remembering once more he was a Whitebeard Pirate.

"W-what is this Captain Jango?"

"Nobody mentioned guys like them were in the village!" They said fearfully.

"Finally, I made it." A new voice said, Nami, Usopp, and Luffy looking to see Zoro there, panting and sweating.

"Zoro, you made it! Did you get lost? You took forever!" Luffy said, realizing Zoro had taken a while. The man was annoyed, and a bubble of guilt and slight fear came from Nami, directed towards Zoro which confused him further.

"I didn't get lost! Nami! How dare you kick me down there!" Zoro shouted to the woman who squeaked, before laughing nervously and rubbing the back of her head.

"That was an accident! It couldn't be helped!" She tried as Zoro glared at her.

"Besides, it's better for one person to be saved than for two to stay down there..." She said, only making Zoro angrier.

"Then you should have stayed!" He screamed.

"Night is long gone now. He- Captain Kuro- he's short-tempered... Hey men! Don't tell me that brat did you all in?!" Jango asked the fallen pirates around him. Everyone looked back to them, Zoro raising an eyebrow.

"What's with them?" He asked, not having seen Luffy's attack.

"U-uh, w-well, Luffy kind of... kicked them," Usopp explained nervously, eyeing Luffy wearily.

"Huh," Zoro said, pleased with his Captain's strength.

"Listen! We don't have time to be dilly-dallying here!" Jango said to the slowly rising pirates, digging in his jacket pocket and pulling out his metal ring.

"If your enemy is strong, we just need to be stronger! Now watch this ring closely! On 'one, two, Jango' you guys'll grow strong. Your wounds will be completely healed, and you will grow stronger and stronger!" Jango told the watching pirates.

"What're they doing?" Zoro asked.

"Its hypnosis! He's trying to convince them to be stronger! How ridiculous!" Nami told him with a frown.

"Stronger... stronger! One! Two! Jango!" All around him, the pirates who had been struggling to even sit on their knees, suddenly jumped to their feet and roared loudly. One of them even punched the cliffside beside him, cracking it into pieces.

"No way!" Nami exclaimed in shock as the pirates cheered.

"H-he gouged out the cliff!" Usopp exclaimed in an equal amount of shock.

"What power!" Zoro yelled with a sweatdrop.

"They really did get hypnotized!" Nami said next.

"With that many people that strong..." Usopp trailed off, wondering if, even with Luffy, they would be able to take them down. Speaking of...

"Go! Crush anyone who gets in the way!" Jango screamed, pointing to the four standing on top of the slope. The pirates cheered again before running up the hill as fast as they could.

"You guys get back!" Zoro yelled to Nami and Usopp, unsheathing his sword.

"We'll handle this!" He said, referring to himself and Luffy. The two began to scramble behind the swordsman, happy to do as he said, while Zoro and Luffy stood motionless as they watched.

"Oi, Luffy," Zoro asked, turning to look at the silent teen. He was glaring, a frown on his face, and unmoving.

"Luffy?!" He asked, wondering if he was ok. Suddenly, with a roar, Luffy raised his hands in the air.

"You got hypnotized too?!" Zoro screamed. Without saying anything, Luffy took off down the slope towards the incoming pirates, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp watching in surprise.

"W-what a simple-minded person! I told him not to watch the ring!" Nami said from where she stood safely behind Zoro.

Roaring again, Luffy held up both fists, throwing them in front of him as fast as possible.

"Gum gum... Gatling!" He screamed, his fists moving so fast it looked like there were multiple of them hitting the pirates. This made them pause, and it wasn't before long that Luffy had knocked them all down again.

"Damn you, Captain Kuro... You didn't warn us about this!" Jango said in a mixture of anger and worry.

"These guys are no ordinary brats! But- wait..." He said with a bead of sweat running down the side of his face.

"This guy couldn't be... the Whitebeard Pirate he told me about, could it?" Jango asked himself softly, eyes widening in fear at this thought.

Meanwhile, the pirates tried getting up again, but Luffy's roar made them realize the danger they were in as all of them quickly began running back down the slope while Luffy chased them. The pirates fell to the ground at the bottom of the slope, but Luffy kept running, right to Jango who began sweating profusely in fear, holding his hat. He crouched, preparing himself for an attack, but Luffy ran right past him, instead heading to the ships.

"What is he doing?!" Zoro asked from where he watched. Luffy ran right to the pirates' ship, grabbing onto the black cat figurehead and gripping it in his arms.

"Wha-?"

"What's he planning to do?!" The pirates asked with tears falling, bleeding from wounds all over them. With one more roar, Luffy pulled the figurehead off of the boat, muscles straining at the strength it took.

"Go! Luffy!" Nami and Usopp cheered from behind Zoro, the swordsman watching with wide eyes and a gaping jaw.

"He's gonna destroy the ship!" A pirate screamed fearfully. Holding the entire figurehead in his arms now, Luffy stumbled back with it, turning to glare at the pirates.

"No! He's not!"

"He's gonna crush us with that!" Terrified, the pirates began running back up the slope as Luffy slowly began carrying it their way.

"Please do something, Captain!" Jango stiffened, looking around desperately.

"Crap! Crap! This was no time to be gawking!" He told himself, turning to watch as Luffy continued growing ever closer. Quickly, he pulled his ring back out, letting it swing in front of him.

"On 'one, two, Jango', you'll get sleepy! One! Two! Jango!" Zoro, Nami, and Usopp watched with wide eyes as suddenly, Luffy's eyes closed and he fell asleep, the figurehead falling on top of him as a result. The pirates screamed as they were hit by the long piece of wood as well, many of them being crushed by it. Nami and Usopp moved up to the cliff itself, Zoro looking at the scene below them carefully.

"Looks like they're just about wiped out!" Nami said.

"I guess so," Zoro replied with a blank face.

"Hey! Nevermind that, Luffy's trapped under there!" Usopp said worriedly, thinking the teen might be seriously injured.

"He won't die," Zoro said confidently, confusing Usopp.

"Damn that brat! Now the plans really screwed up! If Captain Kuro caught sight of this, he'd slaughter all of us, too!" Jango said, teeth chattering in fear as he looked around at all the fallen pirates.

"Hey, Butchie! Come look! This is bad stuff!" A new voice said.

"What the hell?!" Another asked, Jango stiffening in surprise and turning back to the pirate ship.

"We still have a trump card! Come forth, Meowban Brothers!" He called. At his words, two figures jumped off the ship, landing on the wood from the figurehead and grinning to him.

"You called, Captain Jango?" The green-haired man asked.

"You called?" The one with a bell around his neck asked next.

"Siam..." The green one said, standing in a cat pose.

"...and Butchie!" The other said, doing the same.

"Together we are the Meowban Brothers!" They announced with grins, jumping in front of Jango and kneeling.

"Butchi! Siam! We absolutely must get past this hill, but as you can see, an obstacle is in the way! Get rid of it." Jango ordered, the three turning to look at Zoro who stood menacingly at the top of the hill, a sword over his shoulder. Suddenly, the two blanched, stumbling back and sweating.

"W-we can't possibly do that! Right, Butchie?!" Siam asked his brother.

"Yeah, he looks strong!" Butchie agreed. Nami, Usopp, and Zoro watched in a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"And besides, we're just supposed to guard the ship!"

"Yeah! This isn't really our place to fight..." Siam and Butchie said, taking another step back towards the ship.

"W-what? They're not their trump card?!" Usopp asked in confusion.

"Siam! Get going already!" Jango ordered again.

"Eh?! M-me?!" Siam shrieked in fear.

"Hurry!" Jango barked. Siam and Butchie shrunk back at the harshness, Siam even beginning to cry.

"O-okay, okay! I'll go!" Siam conceded.

"He's in tears! What's he trying to do?!" Nami asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Whys he making him fight?" She continued. As she said this, Siam began crying as he ran up the hill.

"Hey, you! Get ready! I'm gonna scratch you good with these claws!" Siam cried, waving his hands in the air.

"What am I supposed to do?! Hey, you! Stop or I'll kill you!" Zoro said in an attempt to stop the man before he had to hurt him. As Siam grew closer, his entire demeanor changed in an instant. No longer was he crying, instead, he was grinning and moving confidently towards Zoro.

"If you can!" He growled, surprising the three.

"What?!" Zoro asked, barely managing to block the claws on Siams hand with his sword.

"What the hell?!" He muttered in surprise.

"You! You just underestimated me, didn't you?!" Siam growled out, jumping away from Zoro now.

"I'm impressed you could block that, after my innocent cat act! You seem to have a little skill, but I wouldn't underestimate Siam of the Meowban Brothers!" Siam said as he stood in front of Zoro, licking his hand. At this point, Zoro was quick to realize the weight at his side was gone.

"Missing something? Don't look at me though..." Siam said, Zoro's two swords on his back.

"There it is..." Jango said quietly.

"'Cat Burglar'" Butchie continued.

"Give those swords back!" Zoro growled out angrily.

"Give them back? But you already have a sword. These are just in the way." Siam said as he took the swords off his back, throwing them behind him and angering Zoro more.

"Alright! Now I'm much lighter!" He said as he licked his claw. Furious, Zoro charged towards the man with his single sword.

"You're supposed to take good care of other people's things!" He yelled as he sliced the man's side, running passed him and towards his two swords laying on the ground.

"Bastard!" Siam screamed as he jumped into the air and landed on Zoros back, grabbing both of the swordsman's arms.

"What?!" Zoro asked in both surprise and confusion.

"What did you cut?! I can bend like a cat!" Siam told the swordsman as his weight pushed Zoro to the ground.

"You're up Butchie! Get 'em!" Siam yelled to the other who ran their way.

"Right, brother! Cat..." The bigger man jumped into the air in the same way Siam had, holding his foot out to where Zoro's head lay.

"...Astrophe!" He screamed, Zoro rolling out of the way just in time as Butchies foot landed where his head had been, crushing the ground.

"Damn! He got away!" Siam growled in annoyance behind Butchie, having jumped over there when Zoro moved.

"Hey! Hold him down Siam!" Butchie yelled in frustration.

"My bad! The bastards way stronger then I thought!" Siam said with another grin.

"He's not getting away this time!"

"That's right!" Siam and Butchie said as they prepared to attack again.

"I'm not that great at One Sword Style, but..." With that, Zoro lifted the single sword up, readying himself.

"Let's do it Butchie!"

"Okay! Let's go, Siam!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello once again everyone! How have you all been? These past two weeks have just been crazy, especially with everything that's happening in the world right now. Let's not get into all of that right now though, I don't want to bring down the mood.
> 
> As for this chapter though, the fight between the Black Cat pirates and Luffy and co has begun. Not only that, but Usopp is coming around to Luffy's abilities as well. Oh, and Whiskey made an appearance too! Well, it was her voice, but it was Whiskey all the same! I really enjoyed writing this chapter and adding in Usopp's reactions to Luffy. While it broke my heart for Luffy to be so sad about a possible failed friendship, I felt like that was what would have happened had this universe been canon.
> 
> These chapters are beasts for me to write and edit, but I truly do love every second of it. If I had it my way, this would be all I did with my time, but sadly, life just doesn't work out that way.
> 
> Also, as always, thank you all so much for the feedback and support! It means everything to me to see how much you all love my stories!
> 
> I hope all of you stay safe in this crazy world. With that said, I'll see you all in two weeks with the next chapter.


	9. The Fights Conclusion

"Hold still now," The darkness slowly gave way to a bright light shining in his eyes, blinding him. A prick in his arm made him jerk, but he wasn't able to pull his hand close as he'd attempted too. Confused, he blinked, trying to clear his vision, and when he did, he noticed that it wasn't a light in his face, but rather a white coat.

Gasping, he pulled back, head slamming against the hardwood, back pressed up against it and arms pinned to the chair he was sat in.

"Now, now, what did I just say?" The voice asked. He almost began hyperventilating as he looked the man in the eye, looked at his grinning face, a shiny needle held in his hand. Without looking at him, the doctor poked the needle back into his arm, ignoring the whimper as he injected the liquid.

A sudden wash of pain made the whimper grow louder, and then it was a scream. It was like fire under his skin, like his blood was made of lava that pumped throughout his entire body, burning him from the inside.

The pain was strong enough that when another needle went in, he didn't even feel it until the fiery burn disappeared and was replaced with ice. No longer was his blood lava, but instead it had frozen inside of him, unmoving and chilling to the bone.

The pain was quick to come, the second of relief gone, and it was as if it was fire again, the ice burning in much the same way, but more of a stinging burn now.

Another needle pierced his skin, and now the ice was gone again. This time in its place, he felt an aching, like his muscles, were sore and needed to be stretched out, but that wasn't possible due to him being strapped down to this wooden chair.

Needle after needle, injection after injection, he suffered at this doctor's hand. He was panting, gasping, screaming, choking, thrashing, but to no avail.

And then, the darkness.

It closed in on him worse than any injection. All around him, he could feel it, a suffocating pressure that made it hard to breathe. Anxiety filled him and he was hyperventilating again, trying to push the darkness away, but unable. He didn't know where the sickening feeling was coming from.

His first thought was that it was from the doctor because that made the most sense, but then he realized that wasn't the case. It felt like it was coming from somewhere else.

But where?

**_/\/\/\/\/\_ **

Luffy's eyes shot open, the boy gasping for air as if he'd been deprived of it. The feeling of being pinned made him believe he was still back in the chair, still unable to help himself, but then he realized he was actually being crushed by the cat figurehead and there was yelling all around him.

"Nami! Look out!"

"Split in two!"

"Get down!"

Noise filtered loudly into his ears and he realized Nami was beside him, shock and fear inside of her, everything in her screaming danger.

Without much time to think, Luffy grabbed her foot, pulling her to the ground and watching as a silver ring flew past them. Getting out from under the wooden figurehead, Luffy took in the surroundings, trying to ignore the nightmare he'd just had.

"H-he's alive?!" Jango asked in shock. Luffy didn't pay him much attention, instead looking past him and seeing Zoros bloodied chest, and then behind him, Kuro. Nami was on the ground, in a state of shock with a slash on her shoulder that was also bleeding, and Usopp was on top of the cliff, slingshot in hand.

"L-Luffy..." Nami said weakly.

"Luffy!" She cried again, smiling widely this time.

"H-he's alive again!"

"This is bad!"

"Five minutes is impossible now!" In front of him, the pirates were all talking nervously to each other, but Luffy didn't understand what they were talking about. What he did know was that Kuro was there, and he had a lot of darkness in him now, the emotion only having grown since he'd last seen him.

"What's going on?" Luffy asked.

"Luffy, Kuro-..." Suddenly, she fell back to the ground, eyes closed as she held on to her shoulder in pain.

"Nami! Are you ok?!" Luffy asked in worry, feeling the pain the woman was in.

"I-its nothing, I'm fine... I've done everything I can for now, so I leave the rest to you... We absolutely can't afford to lose this fight..." She told him, still cringing in pain.

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed.

"For the treasure!" She said softly, confusion forming on Luffy's face.

"It'll all work out in the end!" He settled on saying.

"Try hard! For my treasure!" Nami continued on, looking ghastly, but still talking. Luffy walked past her, smiling as he adjusted his hat.

"Okay! That sounds like you alright!" He said, walking over to Jango and the pirates at the bottom of the slope.

"One minute," Kuro said, making the smile fall from Luffy's face. Around him, the pirates began crying in fear.

"You can't be serious! Not even Butchie-san and Captain Jango..."

"...Can finish them in one minute!" They all began to part as they realized Luffy, who was holding his hat and frowning still, was walking up to them.

"Butchie! There's no time to think! Kill that hamaraki bastard! And I'll handle the weird kid... I'll kill Straw Hat!" Jango said, holding two more rings in his hand. Luffy stopped in front of him, watching them.

"It's about time for everyone to die now," Kuro announced, spreading out his claws at his sides.

"I can finally fight you now, you stupid butler," Luffy told Kuro with a glare, trying to ignore the darkness wanting to creep into him.

"Monkey D. Luffy, 11097. It'll be tough, but I won't lose." Kuro told him, the pirates stiffening at the name as they realized who Luffy was. No one could comment on it though as Kaya came running out of the forest behind Kuro.

"Don't approach me..." Kuro started, looking over his shoulder at the girl as he raised his claws. Usopp, who was the closest, jumped up in fear and worry, running over to the two.

"From behind!" Kuro yelled as he spun to attack the girl.

"Kaya!" Usopp cried, tackling the girl to the ground before she could be hit. Shocked, Kaya gaped up at Usopp, moving out from under him and kneeling beside him in worry.

"U-Usopp-san! Are you ok?!" She asked, touching his back.

"K-Kaya... What are you doing here?!" Usopp asked, turning his head to look at her, only having a few scrapes and bruises but otherwise unharmed.

"I'm so sorry Usopp-san... I know you may not accept my apology, but I feel terrible for how you were treated yesterday... And now that I know, K-Klahadore, a pirate..." She said softly, looking away.

"N-nevermind that! Why are you here?! How did you know he was a pirate?! Your life is in danger!" Usopp asked. Sure, he would have gone and told her himself yesterday, but Luffy had stopped him from doing so. Tears welled in Kaya's eyes as she turned to look at Usopp.

"But you're fighting! Even after everything that happened yesterday! You're still fighting for me, so I..."

"Miss Kaya... Why are you here?" Kuro suddenly asked, rubbing Luffy the wrong way. For such a dark person to be talking to such a light one, it made him sick. Kaya paled, stiffening in shock at Kuro's words before growing angry.

"S-stop this... Stop this, Klahadore! Merry told me everything." Kaya said as she stood, frowning at Kuro.

"Isn't that the girl from the mansion?" Jango asked.

"Meaning she's the plans final target?!" A pirate asked everyone watching the exchange.

"Then there's no need to go to the village now?"

"We just need to kill her, right?!" Luffy's fists tightened at his sides at the words around him.

"Klahadore, please! If you want my fortune, you can have it all! Just leave this village! Right now!" Kaya pleaded to the man.

"I will gladly accept it... But there's one thing I want, you see..." Kuro began with a grin, raising one of his hands.

"What I want... is peace of mind." He said, adjusting his glasses with his palm.

"Peace?" Kaya asked quietly, confused.

"Yes. I want simple peace. I find the villagers' trust that I've fostered these past three years to be nice and comfortable now. So I want to have that peace of mind forever..." Kuro told the girl, eyes glassy with tears.

"And I... And I will have that peace! And your fortune... In short, pirates will come to this village! And... you will leave your will and die! These two things are absolute." Kuro said, his voice dark and low as he grinned sinisterly at Kaya. She stared at him with wide, fearful eyes.

"N-no... Y-You're not..." Kaya began, pulling something from the jacket she wore. Suddenly, Usopp grabbed her ankle.

"Run! Run away, Kaya! There's no use talking to him! Run away!" Usopp pleaded with her, but she didn't listen, instead pulling a gun out and aiming it at Kuro.

"Y-you're not Klahadore. You're not Klahadore..." She said, a determined look on her face.

"Kaya..." Usopp said in surprise. Kuro only frowned, blinking at the girl as she shakily pointed the gun at him.

"Leave this village!" She yelled, Kuro unfazed.

"Oh... you'd point a gun at me..." He said, face unchanging.

"Leave at once!" She yelled again.

"I see. You've certainly grown a lot in these past three years... Miss Kaya." He began, Kaya faltering at his words.

"Do you remember? So much had happened in three years., We spent so much time together, even before your parents passed away and you became bedridden... So much time..." Taking off one of his claws, Kuro smiled gently, adjusting his glasses with his palm.

"So many memories... Together we suffered, together we rejoiced..."

"K-Klahadore..." Tears filled Kaya's eyes at his words.

"I would visit the city with you, and whenever you had a fever, I constantly looked after you... You listened to my stories so happily... I devoted myself to you... For so long..." He said, the tears falling down Kaya's face now as he reached his hand out, grabbing the gun.

"Yes, for so long, I endured it..." His grip tightened as his voice hardened and Kaya blinked in shock.

"Yes, it was all so that I could kill you today..." The gun was pulled from her hands as Kuro's expression darkened as Kayas became distraught.

"I, a man once known as Captain Kuro, had to smile humbly for some snot-nosed girl..." Dropping the gun out of his hand, Kaya began crying, Usopp glaring at Kuro from the ground.

"Damn you..." He growled to him.

"Do you understand these daily insults?! Do you understand this man once known as Captain Kuro?!" He yelled at the girl. Luffys' eye twitched in anger, nearly unable to handle both his own, and now Kuros fiery anger at the same time.

Up on the hill, Usopp reached his hand out, snatching the gun and standing, pointing it at the man now.

"Kuro!" He roared, firing it at the man who began moving his feet quickly, disappearing out of the bullets way and reappearing at Usopps side, putting his claw back on.

"Come to think of it..." He said, Usopp gaping in shock as he turned, only to be met with five, long, sharp claws around his head.

"... I still owe you for hitting me..." Kuro growled, now behind Usopp while Kaya watched fearfully behind them.

"Usopp-san!" She cried.

"You hit me with all your might, as I recall..." Kuro continued, readying his other hand to attack. Usopp watched with a mixture of a glare and fear, but Kuro was unable to do anything when a roar disrupted them. Both looking, they saw a fist stretching their way, moving right past Usopp and hitting Kuro square in the face. Usopp yelled in shock as he leaned out of the way while Kuro was thrown back from the force, the threat to Usopp gone. The arm snapped back to Luffy, and they looked to see him grinning even more menacingly then Kuro had.

"If you hate getting hit that much, I got a hundred more punches for you!" He yelled. The pirates all screamed in fear at seeing Kuro being punched, but also at seeing Luffy's arm stretch all the way to the top of the hill.

"What was that?!"

"What did he do?!"

"It looked like his arm stretched!"

"Get real!"

"He sent Captain Kuro flying!"

"Didn't Captain Kuro call him 11097?!"

"The Whitebeard 11097?!"

"We can't fight him!" Luffy ignored the yelling, instead more focused on the rising anger in Kuro, and by now, Luffy couldn't tell what was Kuro's anger, and what was his own. He knew he was being influenced by it, and because of that, he was ready to start yelling and fighting anyone who even looked at him funny.

"The Usopp Pirates have arrived!" Out of nowhere, the three kids from yesterday all jumped out of the forest, slamming 'weapons' on Kuro's face.

"You guys!" Usopp screamed in fear.

"Stay away!" Kaya screamed in equal fear.

"Say your prayers, butt-ler!" Pepper yelled as he continued smashing his hammer down.

"Its punishment time!" Carrot added.

"Lousy pirate! Disrupting this villages peace!" Onion called as well, each of them not letting up in their attacks on the butler's face.

"S-stop!" Usopp cried desperately, but they weren't listening.

"Take this!"

"Darn you!"

"You brats! What are you doing?!" A pirate screeched in disbelief. Luffy's anger was only briefly disrupted by worry for the kids, but it was quickly pushed down at a pulse in rage from Kuro. Zoro watched with wide eyes, his own worry for the kids rising.

"What're those runts doing?!" He asked.

"Stop that, you guys... Stop!" Usopp continued yelling, hoping they would listen to him. Finally, out of breath, they did, staring down at Kuro who wasn't moving, his glasses smashed and crooked on his face.

"Alright! We'll let you off with just that!" Pepper said.

"Now Captain Kuro is really mad! Those stupid brats!" Jango muttered fearfully. Luffy knew this to to be true first hand.

"Captain! I knew it! You were fighting Captain! Why didn't you tell us?! That's unbare!" Pepper said to Usopp as he and the other two ran over to him.

"No, you mean unfair!" Onion corrected.

"Who cares about that! You guys just gotta get out of here! Run!" Usopp yelled, Kaya watching worriedly.

"No!"

"We're gonna fight too!"

"The Usopp Pirates will be shamed if we run!" The three suddenly stiffened in fear as they realized Kuro was now standing behind them, adjusting his glasses, the glass shattering from them as a result. The children screamed, freezing like deer in headlights as Kuro glared at them.

"You idiots! Get out of here, now!" Usopp yelled, his own fear doubling. They watched as Kuro walked past the kids and over to Usopp, the long nosed man paling as he realized this. Within seconds, Kuro was kicking Usopp in the stomach, knocking him back and down the slope a bit.

"Captain!" The kids cried. Kuro now turned to look at Luffy, still glaring.

"That hurt a bit... That's quite a strange technique you have there... I'd heard you had devil fruit powers." He growled out angrily, Luffy grinning menacingly again.

"The gum gum fruit. I'm a rubber person." Luffy told him, and with his anger being influenced he couldn't help but say the words with a bit more bite then he'd intended.

"What?! A rubber person?!"

"A Whitebeard pirate _and_ a devil fruit?!"

"We're doomed!"

"Jango!" Kuro yelled, the man stiffening and turning to look at Kuro.

"Yeah?" He asked, not wanting to anger the man more than he already was.

"I'll take care of 11097. You take care of Miss Kaya. As we planned, have her write a will... then kill her!" Kuro ordered, Kaya paling and Usopp glaring where he clutched his stomach.

"And those three little ants... They're an eyesore!" He added, the children shrieking as well.

"B-but Captain, are you sure? H-he's a Whitebeard!" Jango said in an unsure manner, glancing to Luffy.

"Are you questioning my strength?!" Kuro yelled at the man, scaring him.

"N-no! Of course not! Will, then kill the girl and the brats! I'm on it!" Jango said hurriedly, moving to do as told but being stopped by Zoro's sword.

"Stop. I can't let you pass." Zoro told him with a frown. Frantic, Jango looked to the only standing Meowban Brother.

"Butchie!" He yelled, a fury rising in Butchie and adding to Luffy's anger, the teen growling lowly to no one. Some of the pirates close enough to hear this stepped away from him nervously.

"Cat...Astrophe!" Butchie cried, effectively distracting Zoro long enough for Jango to pass.

"Not again!" Zoro yelled, dodging the stomp. All around them, the slope rumbled, the cliffside crumbling in some places at the strength of the attack, but Luffy didn't move an inch. Butchie and Zoro began their fight again, but Luffy was more focused on Jango walking undeterred over to Kaya.

"Crap! Kaya!" Usopp yelled once he noticed as well. The kick from Kuro had been strong and debilitating, the teen still trying to recover from it. Because of this, as well as a few other wounds he had from earlier fights, Usopp couldn't get up to stop Jango himself.

"Usopp Pirates!" He yelled, the children perking up.

"Y-yes, sir?!" They called back, confused.

"Listen up!" Usopp called.

"We're not going to run! Not after they did this to you! We're going to avenge you!" Pepper yelled before Usopp could say anything.

"Protect Kaya!" Usopp ordered, surprising them with the order.

"Listen closely! I'm giving... I'm giving you the most important task there is now! Take Kaya and get away from here! Don't tell me you cant! That was the reason we formed our pirate group: to become men who protect what's important to us!" Usopp said, tears welling in the children's eyes.

"Usopp-san..." Kaya whispered.

"That's... a direct order..." Usopp wheezed.

"Yes, Captain!" The children yelled in determination, running over to the girl.

"Hurry Kaya-san!"

"This way! This way! This way!"

"These woods are like our backyard!"

"O-okay..." Kaya let the children drag her away, but not before she was able to glance worriedly over her shoulder at Usopp once last time.

"Jango," Kuro growled.

"I wound up gawking! The fools! They can't possibly escape me!" Jango said confidently, twirling his rings on his fingers, about to throw them, but was stopped by a pellet in the back.

"How'dya like that?!" Usopp asked, shakily holding his slingshot at the man.

"Damn you!"

"Go after them, you fool!" Kuro yelled, all patience gone now.

"Y-yeah, okay!" Jango said before running off.

Now that Kuro's patience was all gone, the anger flowed into Luffy unhindered, and the teen found he couldn't stay in place any longer as he began walking up the hill with a dark look on his face.

"How pointless. I know very well just how weak Kaya is... She'll never escape Jango. If you want to help her, go right ahead." Kuro told Luffy as he watched him slowly advance his way.

"If you can get past this hill alive, that is." He grinned, overconfident in his abilities and only further angering Luffy at how much stronger the man thought he was. It was like when rookie pirates would try fighting Pops, only to realize they were way out of their league. The sound of Zoro's fight behind Luffy clued him in that someone had won, and he was quick to notice it was Zoro who had, but that was all he paid attention to, stopping at the top of the hill and looking to Kuro.

A sound from the forest made Usopp look over in worry.

"What was that sound?" He asked.

"Who knows. Ol' Jango is probably tearing the place up. Why not go and see for yourself? Though it may already be too late..." Kuro taunted.

"Damn you!" Usopp spat out.

"Don't you have even a shred of pity?! You lived with her for three years!" Usopp growled out.

"No. I already told you, Kaya is nothing more than a pawn in my plan. Once she's dead then I'll express some gratitude." He said, not even looking at Luffy anymore as he spoke to Usopp.

"Damn you..." The long nose man repeated.

"What a helplessly evil guy," Zoro noted, but Luffy knew just how bad of a guy Kuro was, his fists clenching together again.

"Usopp!" Luffy yelled, and again, his words sounded harsher then he meant them to be, but he couldn't help it with how angry he was. Zoro looked at him out, eyebrows furrowing at the tone his Captain had, but not saying anything.

"Go to them! We'll take over here!" Luffy snarled, shocking Usopp. His stomach still ached, making it painful to move, but he forced himself to do so.

"Leave it to us." Zoro grinned despite his Captain's odd tone. Getting up, Usopp's legs were shaky, but with a roar, he forced himself to his feet.

"Oh? So you're going after them?" Kuro asked.

"Shut up... I refuse to let you... have your way!" Usopp yelled.

"You went and betrayed the villagers- and Kayas- feelings... I refuse to let you have your way anymore!" Usopp continued, stepping forward only to realize how much pain he was in and falling to the ground. Maybe Kuro had broken a rib or two?

"D-dammit... I... can't..." Behind him, Kuro started chuckling which quickly turned into full-blown laughter.

"You really are a riot! I betrayed them you say?! Cut the crap! This was all part of the plan! A kiddie pirate captain like you has no place to talk all knowingly! Just stay on the ground there!" Kuro yelled in pure rage now, Luffy having to bite his lip to stop himself from having an outburst.

"Though, even if you did catch up to Jango, you'd be no match for him anyway. This way is probably safest for you!" Kuro told Usopp.

"Even if I am no match... Even if I am no match for him... I will protect them! I'm captain of the Usopp Pirates... and a brave warrior of the sea! I won't let you lay a finger on the village!" Usopp cried, tears falling in frustration.

"What's with him?"

"He's yellin' somethin'!"

"Check it out, he's cryin'!" Behind Zoro and Usopp the few pirates that were still up all began laughing at Usopp.

And that was it.

Luffy couldn't stop it, couldn't bite his lip and clench his fists, couldn't take deep breaths and repeat mantras like Whiskey had suggested. All at once, the anger, the fury, bubbled forward and he ran over to a large boulder, picking it up with a roar and throwing it onto the pirates. They ran out of the way in fear, but Luffy wasn't done as he stood on the boulder now, glaring at them.

"What's so funny?!" He growled to them, feeling their fear radiate off of them, though it wasn't strong enough to push away the anger.

"Luffy!" Zoro called, not as surprised by his Captain's anger now. After all, he was a little angry himself.

"Me and Usopp are gonna chase that hypno-freak! That a problem?!" He asked as he helped Usopp up off the ground.

"Nope! Hurry!" Luffy told him, the anger still seeping clearly into his words. As Usopp and Zoro made their way up the hill towards the forest, they were about to pass Kuro when he spoke.

"Hold it, you two. Who gave you permission to pass this hill?" He asked. Fed up, Luffy spun around, flinging his hand forward.

"I did!" He yelled, hand turning to a fist that Kuro narrowly dodged.

"Go! Zoro! Usopp!" Luffy shouted, grabbing onto a tree and pulling his body towards Kuro.

"And another!" He shouted as his other fist came forward, yet Kuro dodged again. Landing on the ground, Luffy didn't have time to orient himself when his haki picked up on Kuro who was about to attack him from behind. Ducking under the attack, he placed his hands on the ground, feet pushed together as he aimed them at Kuro.

"Gum Gum Spear!" Again, Kuro dodged and Luffy growled in annoyance.

"You're pissing me off! He shouted as he brought his feet back and flipped back into a standing position.

"Before fighting, I have one thing to ask you," Kuro said to Luffy as he reappeared.

"Why is a Whitebeard Pirate like you butting into this villages business?!" He asked, also annoyed. Luffy grinned sinisterly, lowering his body.

"Because there's a man in this village I don't wanna let die!" He told him.

"That's all? Whitebeard sent you here for that? Are you okay with that being the reason you die?!" Kuro asked with a grin of his own.

"Pops didn't send me. I left his crew and I'm starting my own. Also, I'm not gonna die!" Luffy told him, the anger returning at how presumptuous the man was being about his strength.

"I'll make sure you do!" Kuro roared as he threw his arms back, running towards Luffy. He didn't get far though because Luffy threw his own arms back, flinging them forward and grabbing Kuro's arms and pulling himself towards the man. He wasn't able to make it the whole way when Kuro twisted his own arms around, throwing Luffy into the ground, but the teen merely moved into another attack effortlessly.

"Gum Gum Whip!" Throwing his leg out, Kuro jumped over it.

"...And pistol!" Before Kuro was even touching the ground he threw the punch, but Kuro managed to touch the ground right before it hit, jumping over it and onto Luffy's arms.

"You're making me yawn. Were you really a Whitebeard Pirate?" Kuro asked smugly as he fixed his glasses.

"Why, you..." Luffy growled, watching as Kuro ran along his arm and towards his face. Not able to move his head without worrying about Kuro slicing his throat, Luffy took the punch, flying back a little as the pirates below watched the whole thing.

"Damn, he cut my mouth. Now I'm even more pissed off." Luffy growled as he wiped the blood away.

"That straw hat guy's a Whitebeard, and yet..."

"T-that's Captain Kuro for ya!" There was a second of silence before they all began cheering.

"Get 'im!"

"Hurray for Captain Kuro!"

"Captain Kuro!"

"You're awesome Captain Kuro!"

"Don't call me that name!" Kuro shouted, stopping the cheers.

"Do you still not get it?! This plan is so I can completely rid the name of 'Captain Kuro'! I'm tired... Devising plans every day for you men who only care about mayhem... Being relentlessly attacked by government dogs and bounty hunters... I was absolutely sick of it all! I cannot allow this plan of three years to fail! My plan will not be disrupted!" Kuro yelled, throwing his claws back again and running at Luffy once more. Seeing this, Luffy stretched his arms behind him, grabbing the boulder he'd used earlier and bringing it in front of him, Kuros claws hitting the rock instead of him.

"Seems you can do more than just stretch!" Kuro noted at Luffy's strength.

"That's right! I was a Whitebeard Pirate!" Luffy told him, crumbling the rock until it was just a block where Kuros claws were stuck. Swinging it, the metal snapped off and he grinned.

"You're _'tired'?!_ You're not fit to be a pirate if having a name on the seas scares you!" Luffy yelled, swinging the rock back towards Kuro and crushing him with it.

"If anyone's got a right to be tired of the marines, it's me!" Luffy screamed at him, his rage fueling the outburst.

"He broke Captain Kuros cat claws..." One of the pirates mumbled in shock.

"That only leaves five more of your weird swords!" With that, Luffy threw the boulder away, Kuro slowly standing up.

"It's okay! He can still fight plenty!"

"Yeah! He still had the other claw!"

"Scratch him up and kill 'im, Captain Kuro!"

"Hey! That name is taboo now!"

"I think his name in this village is Klaha... something."

"Kla-san then!"

"Kla-san! Get 'im!" The yelling from the pirates merely annoyed Luffy, whereas it infuriated Kuro.

"Be quiet, you! I'll come exterminate every one of you later... Jango too, of course!" Kuro told them as he stood fully, closing his claw as much as he could, the claws forming a point at the end.

"W-why us?!"

"Please stop joking around Captain Kuro!"

"It's still not too late for us to attack the village, right?!"

"And if Captain Jango gets her to write her will, the plan should work!"

"You need not worry about this plan; your corpses will be enough for me to place the blame on you... I never intended to let you leave this village from the start... I can't have people who know I exist stay alive..." Kuro told them, shocking the pirates.

"Y-you can't be serious?!"

"Then you planned to kill us from the very start?!"

"That's right... Since three years ago when I was Captain Kuro, it was all... All part of my plan!" Kuro confirmed.

"Man, you guys're dumb! You're such a lame pirate group!" Luffy said with a frown.

"Lame?" Kuro asked.

"Pirate groups are nothing more than a collection of social outcasts! Without plans, what could they possibly do?! Every last one should just shut up and follow my plans! Crew members are loyal pawns of the Captain! Whether my men live or die is all up to my orders as their leader! No matter how powerful the obstacle, they simply need to stand up to it and die for my plan..." Even after the long rant, Luffy did nothing but stare at Kuro with a glare, the man finding himself glaring back.

"This is how pirates are! Don't you talk down to me, boy!" Kuro snarled.

"No matter how many hundreds or thousands of men follow you, as their Captain... you'll never be better then Usopp!" Luffy told him with a grin.

"What?! You're saying I'm inferior to a kid pretending to be a pirate captain?"

"That's right." At that, Kuro laughed loudly.

"You're hilarious! Don't get cocky just because you snapped one of my claws! How exactly is he better than me?! Let's hear it!" When he finished talking, he began shuffling his feet again, disappearing from sight, but Luffy easily kept an eye on him with his haki.

"Character."

"What?!"

"You don't know what a true pirate is!" Luffy yelled as he threw his body around, arm swinging out and backhanding Kuro into the cliffside.

"H-he..."

"He kept up with the pussyfoot maneuvers speed!" The pirates said in shock.

"How insulting... If you want to know about real pirates that much, then I'll show you... that terror... The terror of a pirate who's been face to face with death many times!" Kuro growled out as he stood, swaying slightly. Luffy frowned at the man's words because he still wasn't being taken seriously, even after they knew he was a Whitebeard.

"Hey! That stance! Is he-"

"He's gonna use that technique?!"

"But he's only fighting one guy!"

"He is a Whitebeard..."

"He's planning to use the cat out of the bag attack!"

"Isn't it bad for us to be here?! He'll get us too!"

"He plans to kill us too! He even said so earlier!"

"Please stop Captain Kuro! Anything but that technique!"

"We'll do anything you want!"

"Please Captain Kuro!"

Luffy's frown deepened as the pirates freaked out behind him, eyeing Kuro carefully now. Obviously, he was up to something, but Luffy didn't know what. And then, the man looked up ever so slightly, glaring.

"Out of the Bag Attack!" In a flash, the man was gone. Luffy felt with his haki as the man moved swiftly down the hill and towards the other pirates. Turning, he saw as a row of slashes appeared on one of the pirates, and his glare hardened. One by one, the pirates were attacked, and then he was moving back up, hitting the cliff wall beside Luffy before returning to the pirates. The attacks seemed completely random, and even as Luffy kept an eye on the man, it felt like even he didn't know what he was hitting.

"Please stop, Captain Kuro!"

"Its no use! He attacks at random using his Pussy Foot Maneuver! Because of his speed, not even he knows what he's cutting!"

"So many crewmembers have fallen victim to-" Before the pirate could finish his sentence he was sliced as well, falling to the ground along with the many others.

A sudden gust and Luffy was swaying out of the way of a claw swipe, and then another, and another. Successfully avoided, he remained unharmed, though his anger was only increasing as more pirates fell.

"Who do you take your friends for?!" Luffy shouted in a rage, focusing on where the man was before suddenly whipping his arm out and grabbing him, stopping his attacks and throwing him into the ground.

"Found you!" He yelled, Kuro standing.

"Bastard! You should have let yourself be cut like a good boy! Look! Thanks to you, my adorable men are left alive and in agony. It would have been better for them to die in that attack!" Kuro told him, but Luffy didn't honor that with a reply, glaring silently at the man.

"Now what? You look like you have something to say..." He said as he straightened, smile gone.

"Yeah... I will never be... a man like you." Luffy managed to get out, seething.

"Not will. Someone like you can't be like me!" Kuro told him, pointing all of his claws at Luffy's face, only centimeters away from touching his nose with them, but again, Luffy didn't react, and Kuros smile fell.

"Especially since you're going to die here, while you writhe in agony as I hack you up like raw fish... I'm going to painstakingly carve you up as a special treat!" Kuro said as he walked back up the slope, assuming his previous stance as he began swaying again. Seeing this, Luffy ran forward, fury on his face.

"Oh no you don't!" Luffy yelled, yet he was too late as Kuro disappeared again, slashing the cliff side a few more times as well as almost getting Luffy, yet the teen managed to continue dodging the attacks easily. Kuro ended the attack, back to Luffy, and the teen glared at him.

"Tired?" He asked, Kuro turning to look at him.

"The out of the bag attack does have lots of unnecessary movement. Don't get cocky. Everything so far has been playtime. You get the special treatment. I'm going to let you taste plenty of fear, then slowly cook you!" Kuro announced.

"Glad we're in agreement," Luffy said as Kuro began his out of the bag attack again, but Luffy was tired of this fight and far too angry to endure much more of this. As he observed Kuro running around, he stretched his arm out, grabbing the man's ankle and stopping him, wrapping his arms around him and clinging to him.

"Try your fancy footwork now!" Luffy said with a grin.

"Damn you! Get away from me!" Kuro yelled, struggling to get out of Luffy's grip.

"Now your plan of three years is a complete failure!" Luffy continued because he'd listened to Kuro talk for far too long, and now that he was finally fighting him, finally acting on that rage building consistently inside of him, he felt practically feral as he nearly snarled the words at the man.

"What?!" Kuro asked incredulously, still struggling.

"He caught Captain Kuro!"

"Hey, if he wins, that means we won't get killed, right?!"

"... Get im Rubber Guy!"

"Kick Captain Kuros ass!" Everything about this fight had made Luffy angry, from Kuros darkness to the man's emotions, to the pirates who insisted on talking every five seconds. With a growl, Luffy head butt Kuro, making him stumble, and then Luffy flung his head back, neck stretching as his face was in front of the now terrified pirates.

"You guys have no right to cheer me on!" He screamed at them, the pirates screaming back in fear.

"My plan will not be disrupted!"

"Gum gum... bell!" Luffy yelled as he flung his head back, knocking it into Kuros and pushing them both to the ground. Luffy jumped off the man, standing beside him and looking at him, taking in the muted emotions, telling him he'd won.

With Kuro unconscious, all of the anger that had come from the man seeped out of Luffy, leaving him with only his own anger, and while he was pretty pissed off, it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been seconds ago.

"H-he beat Captain Kuro!"

"Not even the Navy was a match for Kuro, Man of a Thousand Plans!"

"But he really beat him!"

"He _is_ a Whitebeard Pirate!"

"J-just what are you?!" Luffy turned slightly to look at the pirates out of the corner of his eye, frowning.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy. Id never lose to a pirate who ditches his name and runs from the sea. The only time a pirate should abandon his name is when he dies!" Luffy told them.

"L-Luffy... 11097 of the Whitebeard Pirates..." A pirate muttered.

"Stop saying that! I left the Whitebeards and I'm starting my own crew! I'm gonna be the man who's gonna become King of the Pirates!" Luffy announced with a D grin.

"This guy's..."

"Now take him and leave!" Luffy yelled, picking up Kuro and chucking him at the pirates.

"Never come here again!" Luffy added, the pirates all screaming in fear as they ran.

"Run!" Amid the fleeing pirates, Luffy spotted Nami's orange hair running his way, a sack over her shoulder, and a grin on her face. He didn't pay her much mind, instead continuing to glare at the pirates as they ran away.

"Hurry!"

"Raise the anchor!"

Nami let her smile fall as she continued watching Luffy's face, taking in just how angry he looked.

"I-I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the worst injury you got was a cut on the mouth..." She said in an attempt to lighten the mood, but Luffy continued glaring. Sighing, she set the treasure bag down.

"Say. What are you so mad about?" She asked, hoping that the teen's anger wouldn't turn her way. Even though Luffy had done nothing to harm her, she wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly attacked her. He was a pirate after all, and he looked pretty angry, so she expected nothing less than him lashing out at her.

"I hate them. They're wrong. That's not how nakama should act." Luffy told her, finally peeling his eyes off the pirates and turning them to the sky.

"What're you talking about? Of course, it's not. Pirates aren't the lovely things you make them out to be. I'd say Captain Kuros more standard than you." She scoffed, still wary of him. His eyes shifted to her and she stiffened minutely, a flicker of fear passing through her as she realized he may find her words insulting.

"I know that. Sorry for scaring you." He told her, turning and heading up the slope, leaving her staring after him in shock. Of all the things for him to do and say, that hadn't been one of them.

"S-scare me? You didn't-..." She stopped talking when Luffy looked over his shoulder to smile at her.

"Usopp and Zoro'll be here soon." He said once he reached the top of the slope, sitting down to wait for them. Hesitating, Nami nodded, picking up her treasure bag and moving to join him.

"Luffy?" She asked, fiddling with the string holding the bag shut once she sat beside him.

"Hm?" He hummed, looking up to the sky and leaning back on his hands.

"You were apart of the Whitebeards for three years, and that was because they saved you from the- what was it? Facility?" Nami asked, Luffy nodding and telling her that was right.

"Right, but how long were you in the facility for? The news never mentioned anything before you escape, so I was just curious. I mean, you told me the place was bad news and... anyways, you don't have to answer if you don't want to." Nami said, because like she'd said, she was curious. If this facility was as bad as Luffy implied it was, then maybe they could relate just a little. It wasn't exactly the same, because Nami still didn't know what made this facility so bad, but for her, she was basically trapped in her own facility, Arlong at the head of it all.

Luffy looked over to her, his smile falling a bit, though not leaving completely. He could feel the genuine curiosity from the woman and decided to indulge her.

"Seven years. My brothers and I were taken when I was seven and they were 10." He told her, voice quiet and low. Nami's eyes widened in surprise because that hadn't been what she was expecting at all. Shed thought that, maybe, he'd been taken as a young teen, or at least, a preteen, but to hear that a child had been taken? And held for seven years?

Nami empathized with him more now.

Rustling in the nearby brush caught their attention, and they both turned to watch Usopp and Zoro come walking out. The sniper had a few more injuries now, Zoro as well, but Luffy could feel their happiness, their pride, and that was all he needed to know that they were victorious.

"Hey, you guys!" Luffy greeted, Nami smiling to them as well. Zoro came over and sat near them with a huff while Usopp continued standing, putting his hands on his hips.

"So they're all gone?" Zoro asked, noticing that the pirate ship was no longer docked at the shore.

"Yup! They pissed me off so I yelled at them and they ran." Luffy said, with a smile.

"Well, in any case, I wanted to say thank you. I wouldn't have been able to protect the village without you guys!" Usopp told them, Luffy feeling his gratitude swell.

"What're you talking about? If you hadn't don't anything, I would've done nothing!" Zoro told him with a grin.

"Me too!" Luffy agreed with his D smile.

"Who cares about that? I got me some treasure!" Nami said, rubbing her face against the bag. Usopp laughed happily at that before looking to the sea, expression turning serious.

"This incident has helped me finally come to a decision." He said, Luffy giving him a curious look at the suddenly calm and peaceful emotions paired with the serious expression.

Whatever this decision was though, Usopp said nothing, only continuing to stare off at the sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Kuro and his crew are defeated! I'm glad you all are enjoying this story so much. I spend a lot of time writing these chapters and editing them, so to see that the effort I put into them are not only appreciated, but also liked, means the world.
> 
> Also, super sorry about this chapter coming out a little late. I was completely swamped today and I only just got to sit down for the first time today to post this. Hopefully things will start to slow down after the absolutely crazy week I just had!
> 
> Anyway, I don't have much to say about this chapter except it took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to do with it, and I still don't know how I feel about it. I think these first few fights with enemies have been difficult for me to figure out just what I should change and what I should keep, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it now. Hopefully the fights will get better as we go along and by the time we're in the Grand Line things will be a lot more different from canon then they are right now.
> 
> For those who have given me feedback and criticism, thank you so much! Also, everyone who reads, subscribes, bookmarks or gives kudos, thank you as well! I hope to see you in two weeks with the next chapter!


	10. A Reunion With Old Friends

Luffy grinned happily, chewing a fish tail bone between his teeth. He, Nami, and Zoro all sat in the same restaurant Usopp had taken them to the day before, a bunch of empty plates stacked in front of them. After the fight, Luffy had been hungry and demanded they go and eat. Nami and Zoro hadn't argued seeing as they hadn't eaten yet that day either, and so that was what they'd done. Usopp had left, telling them he'd see them later, and with that they separated ways.

"Well, we've eaten. We should get going now." Nami said to Luffy who nodded.

"Yeah..." He agreed, smelling a familiar scent heading their way. The door opened and in walked Kaya, a smile on her face.

"Here you are!" She said, Luffy feeling her relief and happiness as she entered the restaurant.

"Hey, Miss!" He greeted with a wave while Nami turned to look who was here.

"Are you alright, being out of bed?" She asked, not wanting Kaya to hurt herself.

"Yes... My sickness this past year was caused by the mental dismay from having lost my parents... And Usopp-san really cheered me up, too... I cant stay coddled forever!" She said with a genuine smile that caused Nami and Zoro to smile back.

"You've done so much for me. Thank you. I've prepared a present for you from the bottom of my heart! Please accept it!" She said, her excitement and hope rising, making Luffy curious as to what this present was.

Deciding to see what this present was, they followed the woman to the shore. Once they reached it, they all smiled happily as they saw an actual ship waiting for them.

"A caravel!" Nami exclaimed happily as she took in the sight of it. Luffy threw his arms out in excitement, looking to Kaya.

"Can we really have this?!" He asked, his smile stretching widely on his face.

"Yes, please use it!" Kaya confirmed with a pleased smile.

"Its a slightly older model, but I personally designed it! A carvel-make caravel, with lateen sails and a central stern rudder... the Going Merry! Let me explain the rigging! First, about the Kruger net yard adjustment-" The man who looked strangely like a goat, Merry, began explaining but Nami cut him off, pushing herself inbetween Merry and Luffy, who the man had been talking to.

"No, no! You can explain the ship stuff to me!" She told him, Luffy walking away with a shrug. He knew he wouldn't understand it anyway, and besides, Nami was the navigator. He trusted her to know about that stuff.

"What a good ship! Especially the front- it's so cool!" Luffy praised in awe as he examined the figurehead, holding his hat to his head as he did.

"We've loaded it with everything you might need on a voyage," Kaya told him.

"Thanks! It leaves nothing to beat tired!" Luffy said to her, making Zoro shake his head.

"That's, 'Leaves nothing to be desired,' you idiot." He told his Captain. Luffy blinked at this, but was ultimately not offended as he began laughing. A scream stopped their conversations though, all of them turning to see a big green... something rolling their way.

"Usopp-san!" Kaya gasped, recognizing the scream and Luffy knowing she was right once the man's scent drifted to him.

"What's he doing?" Luffy asked, not understanding.

"Let's just stop him for now, he's on a collision course with the ship," Zoro said, arms crossed over his chest as they watched Usopp roll closer and closer. Standing side by side, Zoro and Luffy both raised a foot, and when Usopp reached them they placed their feet firmly in front of them, stopping him from moving anymore.

"T-thanks..." Usopp mumbled, both Zoro and Luffy's feet firmly in his face.

"Sure thing." They replied in unison.

Once Usopp got himself off of his enormous backpack and he righted himself, Kaya stepped forward.

"So you are taking to the ocean Usopp-san?" She asked, the two of them watching the ocean as they spoke. The others had gone to transfer their things from their old boats onto the Going Merry, giving Usopp and Kaya some privacy.

Despite the fact that he was trying to give the two privacy, Luffy couldn't help but feel their emotions, having an idea as to what they were talking about. He was able to avoid hearing anything, but the feelings were enough to know that it was a goodbye that they were having.

Once they had everything on the Merry, Nami, Zoro, and Luffy all stood up at the helm; Luffy leaning over the railing and watching Kaya and Usopp.

"You guys take care too! Let's meet again sometime!" Usopp called up to them.

"How come?" Luffy asked plainly.

"Huh? How come? Man, you're antisocial... I'm gonna be a pirate too, so we'll meet on the high seas eventually!" Usopp told them, arms at his sides as he raised an eyebrow at them.

"What're you talkin' about? Get on already." Zoro told him impatiently, pointing to the Merry's deck.

"Eh?!" Usopp asked, leaning forward in shock.

"We're friends now, aren't we?" Luffy asked, a small look of confusion on his face. He knew Usopp was still scared of him at times, and he couldn't help but wonder if the man didn't want to be his friend like he'd originally thought.

Usopp and Luffy didn't say anything, the two of each other staring at each other, but when Luffy felt Usopps excitement and happiness slowly rise, he smiled, pleased to know that they were, indeed, friends.

Suddenly, with a whoop, Usopp jumped into the air, fist thrown up.

"I get to be Captain, right?!"

"Don't be dumb! I'm the Captain!"

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"Cheers to our new ship and crewmate!" Luffy announced, raising his mug high into the air. The others did the same, all of them cheering happily as they did. They had sailed far enough away now that the Island that Syrup Village lay on was no longer visible. Luffy wasted no time in celebrating his new nakama, having been influenced by all the parties the Whitebeards would throw for even the littlest of things.

Laughs were shared as they celebrated, all of them sipping from their mugs as they sat together on the Merry's deck. Silently, Luffy mused with a smile that they needed a musician, because parties just weren't the same without music to go along with them.

"I didn't know you had a mini den den." Nami pointed out, glancing over to the tiny snail resting on one of the nearby barrels. Zoro and Usopp's eyes drifted over to the creature, Zoro not having noticed it before and Usopp having seen it when he'd eavesdropped on Luffy.

"Yeah, Pops and the others wanted me to bring it so I could call them. They made Sabo take one too when he left." Luffy told them with a grin, looking to the sky. Seeing as they had an actual ship now, Luffy had taken the den den out of his bag and put it on the barrel for now before leaving the bag, along with everything else in it, in the room he'd be sharing with Usopp and Zoro.

"Who's Sabo anyway? You've mentioned him a few times." Zoro noted, the name sounding familiar, as well it should seeing as Luffy was no doubt talking about a fellow Whitebeard Pirate, no doubt the person having a bounty he'd probably seen before.

"He's my older brother! Ace is older than both of us though- he's my other brother. We all joined the Whitebeards together after they saved us." Luffy mused.

"Sabo left the Whitebeards when I did. He wanted to be a refund- wait no, a restitution- no that wasn't it either... Revolutionary! That was it. He wanted to be a Revolutionary, so he left too." Luffy told them with a smile, drinking from his mug again as he did. Nami and Usopp were beginning to feel some nerves at his words, but Zoro was still unaffected beside him.

"Ace, and Sabo. Right, the other two of the demon trio." Nami said softly.

"The brothers of a monster are even bigger monsters," Usopp mumbled quietly- fearfully- as he remembered the bounties that the two had.

"Wait, that reminds me, how come you can feel other people's emotions? It's not because of your devil fruit, right?" Usopp asked, having still been curious over that. Although he'd been skeptical of the so-called abilities in the beginning, the more he'd hung out with Luffy- the more proof he'd seen of it- told every part of his logical thinking that the boy wasn't lying about them.

"Feel other people's emotions?" Zoro asked in confusion, he and Nami both giving equally confused looks to Luffy who blinked in surprise.

He hadn't really expected this so suddenly.

Usopp seemed to realize at this moment that Zoro and Nami didn't know about the boy's ability, and he remembered Luffys talk with that Whiskey person, Luffy having admitted that he hadn't told anyone but him about it.

"Oops..." Usopp said with a nervous chuckle, realizing he'd accidentally spilled the beans on that.

"Don't worry about it Usopp, it's not like I was hiding it," Luffy told the liar with a smile, knowing the man hadn't meant to out him like that.

"What's he talking about? Feeling emotions?" Nami asked, wondering what that could even mean.

"Ah, well, I can feel people's emotions," Luffy told her, hands behind his head.

"You can feel people's emotions," Nami repeated slowly, voice even and calm as she spoke.

"Yup!" Luffy affirmed with a nod and a grin. Both Nami and Zoro blinked, turned to look at each other, blinked again, and turned back to Luffy.

"Y-yeah, you know, I-I didn't believe it a-at first either! B-but, Luffy kind of convinced me, and I kind of overheard some things, and I'm _pretty_ sure he's not lying about it!" Usopp fumbled out nervously, hoping to help the situation he'd caused.

"You can feel my emotions then?" Zoro asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"That's always everyone's first question," Luffy muttered to himself, wondering why that was. He said he could feel people's emotions, so why wouldn't that include them too?

"I can feel everyone's emotions, yours, Namis, Usopps, and anyone else I'm near," Luffy told them, pointing to each person as they said their names before shrugging.

"Oh really? And you didn't think to mention this earlier?" Nami asked, eyes narrowed skeptically and arms crossed over her chest as she watched Luffy.

"You didn't ask." He deadpanned, feeling Nami's anger and irritation rise.

"That's not just something you ask! Normal people can't feel other people's emotions!" She told him which made Luffy frown.

"I'm not normal." He said almost curtly, trying not to take offense at the navigator's words, knowing already that people didn't react well to unnatural things.

"Obviously! You really expect me to believe you're a rubber man who can feel people's emotions." She asked, leaning in closer to him, eyes still narrowed. Usopp was shifting uncomfortably beside her, feeling a bit bad that he'd started all of this. Beside Nami, Zoro was listening indifferently, his emotions not visible on his face.

"I don't expect you to believe anything. I can feel emotions, you can navigate, Usopps a liar-"

"Hey now!"

"-and Zoro fights with three swords. I'm not telling you you have to believe it, I'm just telling you something I can do." Luffy said, making Nami fall silent, a frown on her face. Luffy could still feel her skepticism and even a little bit of nervousness, but she wasn't saying anything anymore to him.

"So how do you do it?" Zoro asked, taking a swig of his drink after he asked. Nami turned an incredulous look his way while Usopps eyes darted between the two of them, still nervous and guilty.

"You believe him?!" She asked with wide eyes as if he were insane.

"Well, why not? He says he can do it, so I believe him." Zoro told her with a shrug, gesturing vaguely towards Luffy when he did. At his words, Luffy felt a smile creep onto his face, relief filling him that another person had accepted his ability and he wouldn't be losing a friend.

Well, there was still a chance he could lose Nami, but one out of two wasn't so bad.

"Besides, what's it matter if he can or can't do it anyway? Even if he is lying, then that just means you have nothing to worry about. Or is it that you're scared that he's not lying?" Zoro taunted, the navigator gaping at him as she listened. She huffed, arms crossing again as she looked away from them.

"Of course not! Why would I be scared about something like that?" She asked, and even though she was a much better liar than Usopp, Luffy could still feel the ingenuity of her emotions, telling him she was lying. Usopp must have realized this as well because now he was looking between Luffy and Nami, mouth opening as if he wanted to tell the navigator about Luffy's lie detection, but a smile from Luffy and a shake of his head stopped him.

"Then what are you worried about?" Zoro asked her. He leaned back on his free hand, the other raising his mug to his mouth as he eyed the woman. She looked back at him, her eyes narrowing again as she let out a sigh.

"Nothing at all. So you can feel our emotions? How?" She asked Luffy who'd remained silent. He could still feel her skepticism, but he could also feel the fight as a small part of her tried to accept his words as truth. He took that as a small win, smiling to her fully.

"I don't know, I just do. You... radiate them, like heat from the sun!" He told her, glancing to the sky as he basked in the warm sunlight hitting his skin.

"Happy emotions are the best! Like excitement or amusement or joy, because they make me feel happy too. Bad feelings aren't as fun, but I try really hard not to let those ones in, like anger and sadness and nervousness." Luffy told them, looking back at them as he continued.

"Let them in?" Usopp asked, brows creasing in confusion.

"Mm. Like the sunlight. You can feel the heat, you can't stop it from warming you. That's what it's like with emotions, whatever you feel, I feel it too. You can try and stop the warmth by going in the shade, and I can try and stop the emotions by... not letting them in." Luffy tried explaining, a thoughtful look on his face as he concentrated on finding the right words.

"Sometimes I can't though. If someone's emotions are too strong or a lot of people are feeling the same emotion at once, its harder for me to block out, and I end up feeling that same emotion myself, even if I don't want to." He continued, Usopp listening with wide, attentive eyes, while Zoro continued drinking and Nami listened with her perpetually narrowed eyes.

"You guys all saw it before. When we fought Kuro, I was mad at him, but he was mad too, and he got even angrier the more everyone fought. Because of that, and the fact that I was already mad, I got really really angry and I couldn't control myself." Luffy finished, remembering his out of control anger.

"Ah, that's right, I thought you sounded pretty mad," Zoro remembered, thinking back to the anger he'd heard in Luffy's voice before he'd left with Usopp to go after Jango. Nami seemed to be remembering the teen's anger as well, her eyes slowly going back to normal as she frowned, and Usopp was nodding in agreement with Zoro.

"Yeah, he pissed me off. Whiskey taught me lots of stuff, like how to handle emotions easier, but it doesn't always work." Usopp perked up at the name, remembering her as the one he'd heard Luffy talking with while Nami and Zoro looked confused.

"Whiskey?" Nami asked curiously.

"Shes a nurse back on the Moby. She helped us a lot." Luffy reminisced with a smaller smile.

"So how'd you get your... ability, then? Last I checked, rubber wouldn't let you do something like that. At least, I don't think it would." Zoro muttered at the end, wondering if it were possible.

Briefly, Luffy debated on whether he should use the excuse Sabo'd always used, that he was an _'empath'-_ whatever that meant. He quickly dashed that idea the second he had it though, knowing that he eventually did want to tell his crew about the facility, and he didn't like the idea of lying, even if it was for good reasons.

"Nah, it's not from my devil fruit. I got my abilities from the facility." Luffy told them, his smile falling and turning to a frown.

"The facility? How'd you get it there?" Usopp asked in confusion, leaning forward on his hands, wanting to know more about the strange ability.

"They gave 'em to me," Luffy said, the curtness back as his frown deepened, everyone realizing quickly that this wasn't a topic the teen seemed to want to talk about.

"So you got your devil fruit there too, then?" Nami asked almost hesitantly despite the red flags waving in her face to stop talking about this subject. It seemed that this question was safer than the one Usopp had asked though, the frown leaving Luffy's face quickly as he looked to Nami.

"My devil fruit? No, I ate it before I was taken." Luffy said easily, his bad mood gone completely as if it hadn't been there before.

"But you said abilit- _ies_ , so I assumed you meant you got both your devil fruit and your ability to feel emotions there." She said, confused now. The others realized the wording now as well and agreed with Nami while Luffy's eyes lit up with this realization.

"Oh, I have more abilities." He said with a shrug as if it was no big deal. The other three present disagreed with this attitude however, all of their eyes widening at this news.

"Did you know about this too?!" Nami asked Usopp with a look of fury at being kept out of the loop. Usopp was quick to raise his hands in peace, backing away from the enraged woman.

"N-no! I only k-knew about the emotions thing!" Usopp stuttered to her. This seemed to appease her, Usopp breathing a sigh of relief as the anger was turned back to Luffy instead.

"Explain yourself!" She yelled, pointing a finger at him while he laughed, undeterred by her anger despite how strong it was.

"I have more than just the ability to feel people's emotions. I also have a really strong sense of smell, I can see colors around people, and I can see memories- ah, but I never look at memories. I don't like that." Luffy told them, face scrunching up in disgust at the thought of violating someone's privacy like that. All of the other things he couldn't control, but the memories were the only thing he couldn't, and he hated the idea that he'd ever have to use it.

"Smell? See colors? Memories? You've got to be lying!" Nami accused, eyebrows raised high in disbelief. Luffy pouted again at that, all progress he'd made with Nami gone in a flash at this new information.

"No I'm not..." He muttered, but again, he couldn't blame the redhead for her disbelief.

"Woah woah woah, what's this about seeing memories?!" Usopp asked, waving his hands as he asked, nearly falling over in his shock.

"Well, if I want to, I can see someone's memories when I look in their eyes, but I don't like to do that, so I never do." Luffy reiterated for them with a shrug.

"And these... colors?" Zoro asked, not quite sure what that even meant.

"Oh, that. I see colors around people. It shows me if you're good people or not. You all have really bright blue colors, but Kuros was dark, and that Marine Captain too." Luffy said, Zoro knowing he was talking about Morgan while Nami and Usopp were left to guess who this Captain was.

"And you got these powers at the... facility?" Usopp asked, still trying to wrap his head around all of this.

"Mm. I got the bad shots, and after that I had my abilities." Luffy told them, voice dark and low again. They were left to imagine what the, 'bad shots' were, because they weren't going to question him on it, not after the dark look and tone.

"I can't believe this. Nope. Too crazy!" Nami said, throwing her hands in the air and standing from the deck, leaving her mug on the ground as she did.

"I can't lie," Luffy told her suddenly, making her pause in her attempt to walk away.

"What?" She asked in confusion, turning to look at him over her shoulder. Zoro and Usopp watched in confusion as well, not understanding what Luffy was talking about all of a sudden.

"I can't lie. Everyone back on the Moby always made fun of me for it. Said it was only fair because I can tell when other people are lying." Luffy told her, and boy was she ready to yell at him about yet another ability of his- this time being that he could detect lies- but she didn't, instead turning to face him fully with narrowed eyes and arms crossed. She didn't say anything, merely stood there staring skeptically at the sitting teen, and after a few minutes, she turned back around and walked off into the Merry.

Luffy stared at the door Nami had disappeared through for a minute before smiling, turning back to Zoro and Usopp and taking a drink. The two remaining crew members weren't quite sure how to react to not only Nami's departure, but also the revelation that their new Captain was practically a superhuman.

"S-so... strong sense of smell, huh?" Usopp asked with a nervous laugh.

**_/\/\/\/\/\/\_ **

Time passed after Luffy revealed to everyone his abilities. Zoro and Usopp had asked a few more questions about these so-called abilities, and Luffy had diligently answered them, all smiles despite the abrupt departure of Nami.

Usopp was still on the fence on whether he believed Luffy or not, but Zoro was willing to take his Captain's words as truth because- as he'd told Nami earlier- so what if he was lying or telling the truth? It wouldn't change things, all that would be different was that Luffy could sense things regular people could not. Luffy, feeling that the two were willing to believe- Zoro more than Usopp- had been overjoyed, knowing that not everyone would be as easy to convince as them. When they got new crewmembers in the future, he knew some might have a harder time believing him.

Like Nami for example.

After she had left, Luffy could feel her turbulent emotions from inside the Merry. He could feel her confusion, her disbelief, her contradicting desire to believe, her frustration, and her anger. He knew it was all because of him, so he left her alone, not wanting to upset her anymore then he'd already done.

She stayed in there for about an hour. The sun was high in the sky, Usopp was on the upper deck, Zoro was laying on the main deck napping, and Luffy was in the corner, tongue sticking out in concentration as he focused on his task at hand.

When Nami came out, she was quick to scan the deck, but when no one paid her any attention, she slowly moved over to two barrels, sitting on one and placing her stack of maps on the other one before beginning to examine them. She glanced over to Luffy briefly, but didn't say anything. She wasn't going to believe him just yet, and in her mind, he was on thin ice, but she couldn't hide away in the Merry forever so here she was.

Usopp's voice as he spoke to himself drifted along the air, but even that was ignored, a peaceful air of calm hanging over the Merry as everyone stuck to their own idle tasks.

This was broken when Usopp jumped from the upper deck, landing near Luffy and holding a stick in the air, shouting something more, to which everyone continued ignoring.

"C'mon, you guys. Show some interest in other people..." He muttered with a raised eyebrow. He realized Nami was back out on the deck now and felt himself looking between her and Luffy, noting that the redhead had her back to the young Captain.

"All done!" Luffy suddenly shouted as he stood up, holding something in the air at the same time. Usopp shrieked in surprise, jumping away from him in surprise at the mans suddeness while everyone turned to look at the teen in confusion, wondering what he was talking about.

"Look! A pirate flag!" Luffy announced, holding out the black cloth to show off what he'd painted onto it.

"Now that Usopps joined and we have four people, we need to have our own mark!" He told them with a bright smile. Zoro sweatdrop as he took in the 'mark', trying to figure out just what he was seeing.

"That's our mark?" He asked. Luffy's smile didn't fade one bit despite the feelings coming from the swordsman, his D smile still as big as ever.

"Whad'ya think? Nice, huh?!" He asked. The three lined up in front of Luffy, observing the flag carefully.

"A pirate flag is a symbol of death. A symbol of fear." Zoro said.

"I do sense fear though... Fear of your talent." Nami muttered with a finger to her chin, her previous misgivings forgotten as she addressed the teen. Beside her, Usopp tsked, waving a finger in the air.

"Wish you would've told me first! Don't forget about me, the gifted artist!" He told them all with a confident smile.

"Gifted artist?" Luffy asked, feeling Usopps confidence in his abilities.

"I've drawn graffiti on walls for 50 years straight! When it comes to painting, I'm in a league all my own!" Usopp boasted, standing tall with his head raised. Luffy listened in awe, and despite the fact that he could literally feel the lies Usopp was telling him, he still believed him.

"Awesome! 50 years?!" Luffy asked with wide eyes, leaning closer to Usopp who beamed at the awe.

"That means he's an old man now!" Zoro piped up, arms crossed over his chest as he smirked.

"Not only that, he must have 5 or 6 grandkids by now!" Nami added with a smirk of her own.

"That's awesome too! Oh, wait, you're lying..." The beginning was said with awe, but then Luffy finally realized Usopp was lying, blinking as he did.

"Oi!"

With that said, Usopp got to work on remaking the mark, using the paints Luffy'd already had out while everyone waited to see how it would turn out. It took a couple of minutes, but finally, he'd finished.

"Alright! Behold this work of art!" Usopp announced proudly, standing up and grabbing the flag, holding it up for everyone to see. Zoro and Luffy stood on either side of him, peeking around the flag and taking in the long-nosed skull along with the slingshot behind it.

"Who told you to make your flag?!" They asked simultaneously, hitting Usopp on either side of the head at the same time.

Another few minutes later, and everyone was standing around Usopp as he painted the last bit of the new design.

"I guess that's more like it," Usopp said from where he sat, paintbrush still in hand. Nami was crouching slightly as she looked at the flag and found herself smiling.

"Wow, its pretty good!" She complimented.

"Yeah! It's good! I like it!" Luffy commented with a grin, hands on his hips where he stood beside Usopp, observing the mark.

"So this is our mark..." Zoro said, sitting cross-legged across from Usopp. It was a classic skull and crossbones, but instead of an intimidating or angry look, the skull was smiling, and on it, it was wearing Luffy's straw hat.

"Alright! Usopp! Draw one on the sail, too!" Luffy said excitedly, pointing up at the sail.

"Right!"

Immediately, Usopp got to work, painting the mark as carefully and precisely on the sail while Luffy watched, yelling what he thought was helpful advice. Nami went back to her maps, and Zoro was napping against the mast while they waited. Eventually, the sail, as well as two black flags were painted and hoisted with the new pirate mark, all of them grinning happily as they looked at it.

"Alright! All set! Now the Going Merry pirate ship is all set!" Luffy exclaimed, arms outstretched happily.

"I'm pooped!" Usopp groaned, laying flat on his back near Zoro.

Some more time passed after that, and once Luffy had decided Usopp had rested enough, he immediately dragged him off to do something else. Zoro decided that the main deck was too loud so he went to the upper deck in hopes that it might be just a smidge quieter up there, laying on the deck and closing his eyes.

Nami went back to her charts and maps, shaking her head at the two rambunctious teens, but smiling none-the-less. For all the news articles condemning Luffy as a ruthless, bloodthirsty maniac, he sure didn't play that part. If anything, he acted like a child who was finally allowed to go play outside with his friends.

Her eyes drifted away from her charts and over to the two running teens, her eyes following the bright red vest that the straw-hatted captain wore.

He'd told her that he couldn't lie, that he was telling the truth about all of his crazy so-called abilities, but had that itself been a lie? Was he just trying to deceive her? Make her think he was more... all-knowing then he really was?

But why? Why would he do that? To deceive her? Make her fear him? Bluff her into only telling him things he'd want to hear? Luffy didn't seem like the manipulating mastermind that her mind was making him out to be, but really, she didn't know much about Luffy himself other than what the Marines had said about him and what he'd said about himself. They were two drastically different stories, and from what she was seeing, she couldn't believe Luffy to be the evil manipulator.

But what if it was an act?

Nami sighed, having had many more similar thoughts when she'd stormed off into the Merry alone earlier. She didn't know what to believe, and she already had enough on her plate right now. Deciding whether this newly pirate captain was trying to deceive her or not wasn't high up on her list of things to worry about.

Besides, she could always leave whenever she wanted. Rob these guys blind and get out before they were any the wiser. Even if this guy was a former Whitebeard Pirate, he was a useless navigator and wouldn't even know where to start looking for her on this big blue ocean. So long as she got back to Arlong before they caught up to her, she'd be home free.

A loud blast from a canon made her jump, holding her chest as she turned to where it'd come from, eyes wide. Luffy was leaned over the canon, giant smile on his face, while Usopp stood a few steps away, smiling as well. Zoro sat up from his nap on the upper deck and looked to them as well, eyebrow raised.

"Huh? What're you guys doing?" He asked in confusion, only slightly annoyed that his nap had been, once again, interrupted.

"Canon practice!" Luffy chirped happily.

"But they sure don't fly good..." He said with a look of confusion now, finger wrapped around his chin as he remembered the canons on the Moby. Whenever they were fired they went super far and almost always hit something. The one he'd fired, however, had barely gone a few feet before slamming into the ocean.

"I'm telling you, let me try!" Usopp said as he pointed to himself, walking up to the cannon.

"Judging from the last flying distance... This should do it!" Usopp announced once he'd finished angling the canon how he wanted it.

"Fire!" And with that, a loud boom went off, the cannonball flying and smashing into a rock, knocking the entire top half of it off.

"Sugoi! You hit it on your first try!" Luffy cheered, shielding his eyes with his hand to see the shattering rock better. It was pretty far away, and he was honestly amazed Usopp had hit it in the first place.

"I really hit it..." Usopp muttered to himself, Luffy feeling he was just as surprised to have done so.

"Whad'ya think?! I'm awesome when it comes to aiming! Impressed?!" Usopp boasted, still sweating a little nervously.

"Yeah! Yeah! It's settled, you're our sniper!" Luffy told him. Zoro smiled from where he was watching while Nami shook her head, turning back to her maps as she attempted to calm her racing heart from the fear of the sudden noise.

"What?! I don't get to be Captain?!" Usopp asked which only annoyed Luffy.

"I'm the Captain!" He retorted, Usopp only laughing at that.

"Well, I'll humor you for now, but if you do anything too cowardly, I'm taking over immediately!" He said. Despite his words, Luffy could feel that he didn't really mean them, that he didn't truly want the title of Captain, but he smiled anyway.

"Yeah, that's fine." He said with a shrug, knowing that wouldn't happen.

"But anyway, I was thinking, there's one other position we need to fill before going into Para- I mean, the Grand Line!" Luffy said, correcting himself before he called the Grand Line Paradise, knowing the others didn't know it as such.

"That's right," Nami piped up from her barrel, setting her map down and turning to them.

"We have a pretty fancy kitchen, too. If you pay me, I can do it!" She said with an innocent smile.

"An important necessity for long trips, right?" Zoro asked, lounging as he joined in on the conversation too.

"Yeah, all pirate ships need one, huh?! A musician!" Luffy told them, his smile growing.

"Are you an idiot?!"

"What do you see voyages as?!"

"Just when it seemed you were gonna say something smart..." One after the other, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp all chastised Luffy for not thinking about the important things first and foremost.

"But pirates sing, you know!" Luffy told them with a pout in an attempt to defend himself. As the others were getting ready to yell at him again, he felt something coming from the area the rock had been in, making him tilt his head, eyebrows furrowing. Everyone seemed to realize he was up to something, silencing as he turned to look at the ocean.

"Someones coming," Luffy told them, scanning the waters and quickly spotting a tiny boat headed their way, animosity and anger filling whoever was on it. He could feel another person on the boat too, but their presence was weak, their feelings muted, telling Luffy that they were most likely hurt and unconscious.

"They're angry, and whoever's with them is hurt I think." He told them, Nami and Usopp moving quickly to the railing to see what Luffy was seeing.

"What? How do you know that?" Nami asked in confusion, already forgetting about the earlier talk of Luffy's abilities.

"I can feel it. The one guy is really angry and whoever's with them has a weak presence and their emotions are muted. That only happens when someones asleep." Luffy explained. Everyone quickly took in this new information, Zoro and Usopp with blinking understanding, while Nami took it more with a grain of salt, still unsure whether these abilities were to be trusted or not.

"But there's only two of them? And one of them is hurt? That means you can take 'em easy if they want to fight, right?" Usopp asked, trying to keep his legs from shaking at the idea that they were being attacked so soon.

"Yeah," Luffy affirmed without hesitation, confident he could do it with his hands behind his back. Usopp sighed in relief at that, grinning.

"Well then, Captain, I leave it to you!" Usopp told him, patting him on the back as he did so. Luffy eyed him weirdly at that, but only shrugged him off, turning back to the man.

"I don't know what he's mad about, but I think we did something," Luffy told them, forgetting Usopps words quickly.

"What makes you say that?" Zoro asked as he came down from where he'd been resting, interested.

"Well, when I feel emotions, I can get a vague... idea of why someones feeling that way. Like when Usopps scared, I can feel that it's because of me. This guy is angry, and I can feel that it has something to do with us, but I don't really know what we did." Luffy said, head tilting as he tried to figure it out.

"Maybe they don't like pirates." Zoro suggested, gesturing to their newly painted pirate flag.

"You think?!" Luffy asked, eyes wide, and Zoro couldn't tell if he was upset or happy at the idea.

"Oi! You damn pirates!" A voice shouted over to them, everyone noticing that the boat was nearly beside the Merry now.

"Definitely doesn't sound like someone happy to see us," Nami muttered, peering carefully over the railing to get a better look at whoever was down there. She didn't know if she wanted to chalk Luffy's words up as luck or him actually having abilities, but this guy did look pretty angry.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked them, unbothered as he leaned over the railing, no sense of self-preservation as he stared the very angry man who was drawing a sword now.

"Who I am doesn't matter! We've taken the heads of many a pirate! Are you nameless wannabes trying to kill my partner?!" The man called up to them, standing up in his boat and beginning to climb up the side of the Merry.

"H-heads?!" Usopp asked fearfully, despite the fact it was only one man.

"Nameless?" Luffy asked with a pout, because last he checked, he had a name.

"Kill?" Nami asked with a frown, trying to get a better look into the boat.

"That voice..." Zoro muttered to himself, walking over the railing.

"Oi, you're scratching our ship!" Luffy shouted once he realized the man was using his sword to pierce into the wood as he climbed. Annoyed at both being called nameless, as well as the damage to their new ship, Luffy stretched his arm towards the man. This made the unknown person yell out in surprise as his jacket was grabbed and he was pulled onto the ship, flung into the opposite railing.

"L-lost by a hair..." He uttered out as he collapsed against the wooden rail.

"T-that might have been a bit harsh, Luffy..." Usopp said with a wince, noticing that the man had hit the rail pretty hard.

"Hey, is that you, Johnny?!" Zoro asked with a grin as he took in the newcomer's appearance. Hearing his name, 'Johnny' lifted his head, a glare on his face.

"Who's saying my name all familiar-like?!" He yelled, only to realize it was Zoro.

"Z-Zoro-Aniki!" He shouted in surprise, sitting up straighter as he did.

"It is you, Johnny!" Zoro laughed, hands on his hips as he observed him.

"What are you doing here, Aniki?!" Johnny asked, jumping to his feet, still sweating and jaw dropped.

"Wheres Yosaku? Isn't he with you?" Zoro asked, completely disregarding the previous question as he glanced around, as if expecting the other man to suddenly appear.

"What now? What now?" Usopp asked, eyes darting between the two in both confusion and shock that they knew each other.

"What's going on?" Nami asked, just as confused as Usopp. They were ignored as Johnny suddenly had tears running down his face, quickly running over to the railing his boat was near and looking over it. Zoro followed and everyone peered over it again to see another man laying on the boat, stomach wrapped in bandages that were being bled through.

"Y-Yosaku is..." Zoro placed a hand on Johnny's shoulder in understanding while everyone realized this was the person Luffy had mentioned earlier, the hurt one.

Nami tried to ignore the fact that there was no way he could have known that before. It had to have been a lucky guess.

Working together, they got Yosaku onto the Merry, laying him on the deck. The guys all stood around him, taking in Yosakus pale and sweaty appearance, while Nami stood nearby, not getting too close as she watched.

"He's sick. Although he was full of life up until a few days ago, now he keeps getting pale suddenly and then fainting! I have no idea what's causing it..." Johnny cried, sitting beside Yosaku.

"In the end, his teeth fell out and his old wound opened up and started bleeding. I didn't know what to do anymore so we were on a rocky island letting him rest quietly. But then... a cannonball came flying from this ship..." Johnny continued crying, Luffy feeling his distress clearly. At the mention of the cannonball, both Luffy and Usopp's jaws dropped, realizing they were at fault for that.

"W-we're sorry!" They apologized simultaneously, both feeling bad for their part in this.

"Sorry doesn't cut it... Isn't that right, partner?" Johnny asked the unresponsive Yosaku. Usopp and Luffy blanched at their apology being brushed off completely, not knowing if they should feel offended by that or not.

"Aniki... Is he going to die?" Johnny asked Zoro, tears never stopping. Zoro froze, not knowing what to say. He wasn't a doctor, but he knew Yosaku wasn't doing so well. He didn't need to worry about responding though, because Nami beat him to it, walking over to them.

"Are you all stupid?" She asked standing beside the still apologizing Usopp and Luffy.

"What'd you say?!" Zoro barked at Nami, annoyed that she was calling them names while his friend was possibly dying. Kneeling beside Yosaku, across from Johnny, she pulled out the ailing man's tongue, simultaneously opening one of his eyes and looking at it. She wasn't able to proceed any further than that when Johnny suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling it away and yelling in her face.

"Wh-What're you doing?!" He shouted, Nami's face scrunching in disgust as she felt spit get on her face.

"Ouch!" She cried at the pain from her arm being pulled.

"If you mock my partner's death, you'll pay for it-" Nami stopped the angry man from any further yelling by shoving her hand, the one not being pulled, in Johnny's face.

"Luffy! Usopp! Remember we have limes in the storage?" The two didn't respond, tears falling down their faces as they looked at Yosaku. Luffy couldn't tell if he was feeling his own distress and grief, or if it was a mixture of everyone else's around him.

"Are you listening?! Bring them here. Now!" Nami ordered, snapping them out of it and sending them running to the storage room.

"Y-yes ma'am!" They cried out as they ran off, both trying to fit inside the door frame at the same time and getting stuck.

"Out of my way!"

"Out of _my_ way!" With a crash, the two fell into the room, both yelling out as they did while Nami facepalmed, pulling her arm out of Johnny's grip and frowning at it, knowing it was most likely going to bruise.

When Luffy and Usopp returned, limes in hand, she had them squeeze the juice into Yosaku's mouth, Zoro, Johnny, and Nami all watching as they did.

"It's scurvy," Nami told them finally.

"Scurvy?" Johnny asked in a tone of disbelief.

"If we weren't too late, he'll be fine in just a few days." Nami continued. This excited Johnny, a smile finally forming on his face for the first time as he leaned towards Nami.

"R-really, big sis?! Big sis, is he really..." Nami stopped him once again- annoyed as there was even more spit on her face- by slapping her hand over his mouth.

"Stop... calling me that." She told him, only slightly irritated. The man was thanking her after all, so there wasn't any reason to get too mad.

"In the past, it was a hopeless disease that accompanied sea journeys. But the cause was simply a deficiency of plant-derived nutrients. Ships in the past didn't carry fresh fruits and vegetables since they weren't storable, so..." Nami explained, turning back to look at Usopp and Luffy who were still pouring as much of the lime juice as they could into Yosakus open mouth. Once they couldn't get any more of the juice out, they began stuffing the limes whole into his mouth next.

"Okay now, put them all in his mouth. Now he'll be fine." Usopp encouraged, still feeling a little bad. Nami had an unimpressed look on her face, but didn't say anything.

"You're amazing! You're like a doctor!" Luffy praised Nami with a smile.

"Well, I always thought you were smart!" Usopp told her with his own smile, Yosaku gurgling beside him, hands moving to the many limes stuffed in his mouth.

"Yeah, you're right. She is." Luffy agreed with a nod.

"You should know at least that much! You could die if you don't!" Nami screeched, teeth sharp as she leaned forward towards them, finally fed up with their idiocy. Beside Luffy and Usopp, Yosaku coughed up the limes, all of them flying straight upwards into the air before he sat up.

"Wha-" Namis face of anger was replaced with surprise at the suddenness, but without missing a beat, Johnny ran forward, he and Yosaku beginning to dance.

"Yaay! Yaay! Yaay!" Everyone watched as they spun in circles, arms linked, while Yosaku waved his free arm in the air.

"All those nutrients revived me!"

"Alright, partner!"

"There's no way you can recover this quickly!" Nami screeched, teeth sharp again as she reprimanded them. This made the two stop, turning to look formally towards the small group.

"Sorry for not introducing ourselves first." They said simultaneously.

"My name is Johnny."

"I'm Yosaku."

"The pirate bounty hunter duo!" They finished together, standing tall.

"We used to be colleagues of Zoro-Aniki." Johnny continued.

"Glad to make you acquaintance." Yosaku finished. With a smile, Zoro walked over to them.

"I never thought that I'd see you guys here..." He told them. Meanwhile, Usopp and Nami were still looking at the two in surprise while Luffy was watching them carefully, checking their colors and emotions. With no hints of darkness anywhere, he smiled to them as well, finding no reason not to like them.

"But again, we're surprised..." Johnny started.

"We never imagined that the pirate hunter Zoro would become a pirate..." Yosaku finished.

"Yeah, I know-" Zoro couldn't even finish his sentence before Yosaku suddenly gave a hack and was falling face-first to the ground.

"O-oi! Yosaku?!" Johnny asked in concern. Nami face palmed while Usopp and Luffy both yelled in surprise.

They left Yosaku to rest in the storage room, and seeing as the sky was darkening, they all went to the galley to sit and talk.

"This is a lesson," Nami told them, sitting at the table with Usopp and Luffy as she wrote something down in a book.

"Yeah. There're pitfalls like this when you travel on the sea for a long time." Zoro said, resting on the ground beside the table, arms crossed and legs stretched out in front of him.

"Which means on the ship, we have to consider the distribution of nutrients using limited kinds of food," Usopp added, Johnny nodding from where he was leaning against the counter of the small kitchen.

"When we think about it carefully, its a necessary ability..." Nami trailed off as she stared at her book, Luffy taking a bite from some bread as he listened.

"Mm, that's right. Okay, then! A seafaring cook!" He announced, everyone turning to look at him.

"That's our next goal! To get ourselves a cook!" Luffy told them with a smile, thinking back to all the chefs that had been apart of the Whitebeards.

"Aha! Then we'll be able to eat yummy food even on the ship!" Usopp said with an equally big smile.

"Exactly!" Luffy agreed, tongue lolling out at the thought of all the meat he could have.

"If you're looking for a cook like that, there's a perfect place for that." Johnny piped up with his own small smile.

"Alright! Where is it?" Luffy asked him excitedly.

"It's close to the Grand Line, and I've heard rumors about the hawk-eyed man you've been looking for..." Johnny said, walking in front of Zoro as he said this. The swordsman, whose eyes had been closed as he listened, suddenly opened them, grinning as he grabbed his sword.

"We'll head... north-northeast!" Johnny said, pointing in said direction, everyone agreeing.

"Our destination is... the sea restaurant... Baratie!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is the Baratie Arc! Is everyone excited to see Sanji?
> 
> Zoro, Nami and Usopp now know about Luffy's abilities, and while Nami's still skeptical of them, she's not outright denying them like Usopp had. I felt that Zoro would be rather excepting of them because, as mentioned, it wouldn't matter to him whether he was telling the truth about them or not. If he had them, it wouldn't change anything. Nami, however, has things to hide so of course she would feel off about knowing that Luffy could sense these things about her. Not only that, but Nami is a very logical thinker. She believes in things she can see and things that can be proven. Luffy's abilities don't exactly fall into either of those categories which means she's not going to be quick to believe this fantastical idea of him being more of a superhuman then he already is.
> 
> Thank you all so much for your support, criticism, and love on this story! I can never express how much it means to me that I have such a loyal following on this series. If it weren't for all of you amazing people, I probably never would have gotten the motivation to write a sequel to The Devil Wears White in the first place. I honestly never expected to get as much love for these stories as I have, and I'm eternally grateful for all of you.
> 
> So, with that, I'll see you all again with the next chapter and the start of the Baratie Arc in two weeks. Until then, stay safe everyone!


	11. The Floating Restaurant

That night was quiet; everyone turning in pretty early seeing as there wasn't much else to do. They had already begun starting a tentative watch schedule, switching midway through the night to avoid having one person up all night only to be exhausted in the morning. Tonight, Zoro would have the first watch and then be relieved by Usopp who would stay until morning.

The Merry quietly sailed the waters, the stars shining high in the sky with the moon allowing at least some light to illuminate the deck. When morning came, Nami told them she would make them all food so long as she was compensated for it, and seeing as no one else knew how to cook, they agreed. It would take them another day to reach the sea restaurant so for the time being, they were going to relax.

Of course, that's always easier said than done.

Shortly after lunch, Luffy and Usopp were talking with Johnny. Yosaku was still resting in the storage room and Nami was back by the barrels, looking over her maps again. Zoro was resting nearby as well, but he wasn't actively participating in their conversation, merely listening to it silently.

"You know, we never were properly introduced," Usopp noted, realizing that while Johnny and Yosaku had introduced themselves formally, none of the crew had done the same. The two knew Zoro, obviously, and they'd heard them mention each other's names in passing, but they were never formally introduced.

"That's right, it was pretty hectic yesterday," Johnny said, realizing this as well.

"In that case, I'm Usopp, the sniper and Captain aboard this grand ship, the Going Merry!" Usopp said, arms stretching at his side to show off said ship, grinning proudly as he did. Luffy was quick to hit him on the head, making the liar shout in pain, rubbing his head.

"No way, I'm the Captain! My name's Monkey D. Luffy, nice to meet you!" Luffy said, any annoyance towards Usopp gone as he smiled his D smile to Johnny.

"Ah, Usopp, and Monkey D- _Gah!_ Monkey D. Luffy?!" Johnny's eyes were blown open wide in surprise, shuffling back away from Luffy as quickly as he could at this new information.

"Y-you're 11097?! The Whitebeard Pirate?!" Johnny asked to which Luffy nodded. His smile fell, no longer the big D smile, but it didn't leave completely. He was used to this reaction after all, so he wasn't going to let it bother him too much.

"Right. But I'm not apart of Pops' crew anymore. I'm starting my own." He told him, pointing to the sails that bore his brand new mark. Johnny continued openly gaping at him, and Luffy could feel his fear and shock.

"I can't believe it! A member of a Yonko crew here in the East Blue..." Johnny said in a mixture of fear and awe. The bounty hunter seemed unsure of Luffy at first, but as Luffy and Usopp shared stories with him, Luffy could feel his apprehension slowly leave him.

It probably helped that Zoro- someone that Johnny knew and respected- was apart of Luffy's crew.

After that, the day passed normally with nothing big happening. Nami cooked the meals, and inbetween everyone did their own thing, whether it was relaxing, reading, or sleeping. It passed slowly, but before they knew it, they were waking up again to find they were nearing the Baratie.

"Whoa!" Everyone, sans Zoro who was still groggy from waking up, exclaimed as they took in the fish-shaped restaurant.

"What do you think, everyone?!" Johnny asked, arms outstretched wide at his sides as he looked to the Baratie himself.

"Woah! It's a huge fish!" Luffy exclaimed in awe, not having seen something like this before. Behind them, Yosaku was peeking out of his room; AKA, the storage room they'd left him in.

"How lovely!" Nami said, hands clasped together as she smiled.

"That's pretty funky!" Usopp said next.

"Right?! Just like I told you, right?!" Johnny asked with a grin, arms crossed over his chest. Yosakus mouth started to water as he peeked out of the storage room, but a sudden noise to his right caught his attention, everyone turning to see a large Marine ship coming up beside them.

"Wh-What the... at a place like this?! A Marine ship..." With wide eyes, Yosaku watched as the Marine ship stopped beside them.

At the front of the Merry, Usopp was starting to freak out a little, gaping at the ship beside them while Nami and Zoro merely watched it get closer- Nami with a little apprehension and Zoro with a calculating look. Johnny was in much the same state as Usopp, and Luffy was frowning, head tilted a little as he watched the Marines.

They always ruined everything.

"S-surely they're not gonna shoot at us, right?" Usopp asked hesitantly.

"What an unpleasant bunch we've run into..." Zoro muttered.

"W-when did they..." Nami trailed off, wondering how they hadn't noticed the ship sooner. Behind her, Johnny was trying to sneak off towards Yosaku.

"I've never seen that pirate flag." One of the people on the Marines ship said to them, walking closer to the railing to address them. Johnny stopped sneaking altogether and practically ran over to Yosaku, hiding behind the door with him.

"Damn it! We're not pirates!" He said to his partner.

"I'm Iron Fist Fullbody, Lieutenant at Navy Headquarters! Hey, who's your Captain?! Come out and state your name!" The Marine called over to them. Luffy walked closer to the Merrys railing in response, still frowning at the man.

"I'm Luffy!" He called over. Next to him, Usopp walked over as well, but he wasn't able to say anything when Fullbodys eyes widened in recognition.

"You wouldn't perhaps be 11097, Monkey D. Luffy, would you?" He asked carefully, eyes narrowing in suspicion while Usopp wilted at being ignored.

"That's right," Luffy affirmed, ignoring Yosakus shout of surprise. Seeing as he'd been resting all day yesterday, word of Luffy's past pirating escapades hadn't reached him yet and he was figuring this out for the first time.

"A Whitebeard Pirate in the East Blue? For what purpose?" Fullbody asked, his frown deepening.

"I left Pops' crew to start my own. We just made our pirate flag the day before yesterday!" Luffy told them.

"And I'm the one who drew it!" Usopp added, feeling compelled to even though he knew he should let Luffy handle this.

"A previous Whitebeard starting a crew of his own... hm?" Fullbody finally noticed the bounty hunters.

"You two over there, I remember seeing you before too. If I remember correctly, you're a bounty hunter duo going after small fish. Looks like you bit off more then you could chew with this one and got caught, huh?" He asked them, looking back to Luffy as he said this.

"W-what?!" Johnny and Yosaku asked in a mixture of annoyance and fear.

"Finally caught and it's by a former Whitebeard Pirate..." Fullbody said, shaking his head.

"W-we are..." Johnny started but knew he couldn't exactly tell him they were here willingly, lest they want to be imprisoned.

"That's a laugh!" Fullbody said, chuckling to himself.

"C'mon, let's get going." A woman said as she stepped out from behind the Marine.

"Right," Fullbody told her.

"You think small-time bounty hunters would go after these guys?!" Johnny asked, pulling out a stack of wanted posters and throwing them. They all fluttered to the ground, but Fullbody ignored him, turning back to address Luffy instead. Luffy wasn't paying attention to the Marine anymore though and was instead looking at Nami who he'd suddenly felt a spike of fear and hatred from. He noticed that she was looking to the wanted posters, but he didn't know which one was making her feel that way.

"Oi, 11097!" Fullbody called, grabbing Luffys attention again.

"You're wanted alive. Shame that after all you and you're demonic brothers have done to the Marines I can't kill you here and now." He said with a sneer. Luffy glared to the Marine, not liking that Ace and Sabo were being bad mouthed by this guy.

"Arrest them," Fullbody told the soldiers around him, walking off with the woman on his arm towards the restaurant.

"S-sir?!" One of them asked, hesitant.

"You heard me. My lovely date and I are going to go ahead inside. I expect you all to be able to do a simple task such as this." Fullbody told them flippantly, waving his hand as he continued walking.

"R-right! Yes sir!" They said as they saluted. With that, the soldiers all began scrambling to the railing, aiming their guns at the newly formed pirate crew. Usopp shrieked in terror while Namis eyes widened, the woman running off to take cover with Johnny and Yosaku. Zoro grabbed his swords while Luffy shifted into a fighting stance, eyes narrowing.

"11097, surrender now and avoid unnecessary conflict!" One of them called.

"No way," Luffy said with a glare, making the Marines sweat nervously and glance at each other.

"You leave us no other option then. Ready men. Aim. Fire!" On his command, shots were fired. Usopp started screaming in fear but Luffy was quick to block the bullets from hitting anyone, allowing his body to stretch in the necessary places before flinging the bullets right back to the Marines who all scrambled to avoid being hit.

"He took the hits! And sent them back!"

"He really is a demon! Just like the higher-ups said!"

"What do we do?!"

"Is that all you got?" Luffy asked them, grinning sadistically to them. It looked as if the Marines were imitating Usopp, their legs shaking in their fear as they glanced at each other nervously.

"W-we won't stand down! In the name of Justice, the Marines will prevail!" Someone said, making Luffy frown.

"Justice, huh?" He asked, voice low as he spoke the word. Seeing that Luffy had it handled, Usopp had stopped shaking and was watching in awe. Zoro had his arms crossed, an eyebrow raised as he listened as well, and Johnny, Yosaku, and Nami were watching from the storage room.

"Marines like you don't know what, 'Justice' you're really fighting for, do you?" He asked them, confusing them with his words.

"If you did, how many of you would continue being Marines? How many of you would still call what you're fighting for, _'Justice?'_ " It seemed Luffy had riled himself up with his own words, the anger on his face doubling and scaring the Marines further.

"Well here's what I think of your stupid, 'Justice!'" Luffy shouted, jumping up onto the railing and swinging his leg out.

"Gum Gum..." Realizing he was about to attack, the Marines started shouting and running, some pulling out swords, but overall, they were an unorganized group of scared men.

"Whip!" Luffy shouted, stretching his leg out towards them. His leg successfully swept every Marine on deck into the cabin of the ship, knocking them all into each other and onto the ground, some unconscious, and some not moving from the pain of being dogpiled into a wall.

When no one made a move to go after them anymore, Luffy turned, jumping off the railing and taking a deep breath. His anger melted away and he briefly realized he'd been influenced, but he had no clue as to who had done it. No one on the Merry was angry, they were all a mixture of surprised, scared, and awed, but no anger. The Marines had all been scared, no one there angry enough to influence him, and the emotions from the restaurant were too jumbled for Luffy to feel any strong anger, so where had it come from?

Shrugging it off, Luffy looked to his friends.

"Let's go eat! I'm starving!" Luffy said, a sunny smile on his face that contradicted the angry glare that had been there moments ago. Blinking at the sudden mood change, all the crew did was nod, all of them getting the smaller ship Johnny and Yosaku had been using ready. The bounty hunters had decided on staying on the Merry while the rest went off to the restaurant. In just a few minutes, Usopp, Nami, Zoro, and Luffy were on the small boat; Luffy and Zoro rowing while Nami stood at the head and Usopp sat against the wall.

"You stopped those marines with one move," Usopp said to Luffy, still awed by the teens strength. Even though he knew Luffy was strong, that had been a whole deck of Marines taken down with a single kick.

"I didn't really mean to do that..." Luffy admitted sheepishly, Nami turning to look at him in confusion.

"What do you mean, _'Didn't mean to?'_ " She asked almost incredulously. With that kick, Luffy should have known what would happen.

"Well, someone was really angry, and it made me angry too. These guys are weak, and I accidentally hit them harder then I meant to." Luffy told her with a frown as he continued rowing, still confused on who'd influenced him.

"Someone was angry? Right, you mentioned you can be... what was it... influenced?" Zoro asked, Luffy nodding.

"Yeah, and whoever was really angry made me angry," Luffy confirmed.

"So who was angry then?" Usopp asked. Now that he was getting used to Luffy's strange abilities, he wanted to know more about it.

"Don't know. It wasn't the Marines, they were all scared, and you guys weren't angry- Johnny or Yosaku either. It wasn't anyone from the Baratie, there're too many emotions there, and if someone was angry enough for me to feel them, I would have noticed." Luffy explained, all of them listening, amazed by his words. Even though Nami had been hesitant and outright a nonbeliever before, even she had to admit that it was getting to the point where she couldn't deny it anymore. Luffy definitely had at least some sort of strange ability to sense emotions.

Finally, they reached the Baratie, tying their boat to the small outer deck of the fish-shaped restaurant and boarding it. Luffy stretched, grinning widely again as he began marching towards the doors.

"Meat! Meat! Meat! Can't wait to eat meat!" He chanted cheerfully, the others following behind him. Nami was shaking her head, sighing at his childishness, and Usopp was a step away from joining Luffy in his chanting. Zoro was indifferent to the theatrics, more focused on the idea that he might be able to get some good alcohol here.

Walking inside, they saw the many people dining, but realized there seemed to be a tension in the air. Luffy could feel someone who was particularly annoyed and looked to see it was the Marine from earlier. A blonde man stood by his table, but Luffy didn't have time to register anything else other than their hair color before there was a loud crash. Fullbody was standing now, fist hovering where a table had been, but now it was split in two on the ground, soup spilled and the bowl it'd been in shattered.

Everyone was watching with wide eyes and the woman Fullbody had come with was standing as well, hands to her mouth in surprise. The blonde kneeled down next to the spilled soup, frowning.

"You could've eaten it if you took that bug out, couldn't you?" He asked, all of the Straw Hats watching in confusion.

"It took three full days to cook it, skimming the scum-" Suddenly Fullbodys foot was stomping Sanjis hand, cutting him off.

"Aren't you acting a bit too big for your britches?" He asked the blonde, twisting his foot on the hand.

"I'm a customer! I'm paying you!" He shouted down at him.

"Please stop, Fullbody-san!" The woman pleaded, grabbing the Marines arm in an attempt to stop him. It didn't work, and instead, the Marine twisted, shrugging the woman off of him and throwing her to the ground.

"Shut up!" He shouted to her, the woman sitting on the ground. Luffy felt that she was in pain from the push.

"F-Fullbody-san..." She said weakly, holding her cheek.

"Can money... satisfy your hunger?" The blonde suddenly asked, his hand still pinned to the ground by the Marines foot.

"What'd you say?!" He growled out.

"I'm asking, 'Can it... satisfy your hunger?!'" The blonde asked again, his tone changing as he looked up to the marine. Not giving the Marine a chance to answer, the blonde spun, pulling his hand out from under Fullbodys foot and using his hands to support himself, his legs spinning out above him and kicking the man into the ground.

"Fullbody-san!" The woman gasped.

"Sanji..."

"Sous chef..." A group of chefs said from the stairs. Grabbing the Marine by the neck, the blonde, now named Sanji, lifted Fullbody into the air, glaring at him. Blood was dripping on the ground, but it was ignored.

"Don't... waste food," Sanji told the twitching man.

"At sea, provoking a cook is the same as committing suicide. Remember that." He finished, still holding Fullbody high in the air. A new presence, one filled with sudden irritation, walked into the room and drew Luffys attention.

"You again, Sanji! What're you doing to our customer?!" The man asked, pointing to Sanji accusingly as he walked towards him.

"Of all people, he's a Navy Lieutenant!" He continued in a tone of displeasure.

"What is it, you damn cook?! Don't call my name as if I were your friend!" Sanji said as he turned his head to look at the incoming chef. This clearly angered the man even more as he leaned in towards Sanji and shouted.

"A damn cook has no right to call me 'damn cook!' Restaurants cant exist without customers! Hurting our precious customer... What do you think you're doing?!" The man asked Sanji, his gold hoop earrings flying from his aggressive movements.

"What's the big deal with customers? He treated the food carelessly. On top of that, he insulted cooks." Sanji said, finally letting go of the Marines neck and letting his fall to the ground.

"So I taught him a lesson." He finished.

"What's with this restaurant?" Usopp muttered quietly, not wanting the cooks wrath to turn on him.

"No restaurant should treat its customers like this... I'll shut it down... I'll shut down this restaurant! I'll shut it down! I'll contact the government immediately and..." Fullbody was full-on ranting now where he sat on the ground, not looking at anyone.

"Then I'd better finish you off here..." Sanji growled, Fullbody looking up at him in terror as he stalked closer.

"Stop it sous chef!"

_"A stuck up asshole like you,"_

"What are you doing?! If you keep going at him,"

_"Who's too big for his britches,"_

"We'll be in big trouble! Stop it Sanji! Stop it!"

_"Just pisses me off!"_

"You're going too far Sanji!" All of them were talking at once, the chefs attempting to hold Sanji back as the blonde continued yelling at the terrified Fullbody.

"So you think you're a big shot?! Huh?!" Sanji growled out, reaching a hand out in a vain attempt to grab at the Marine who had tears in his eyes.

"Owner! Please stop Sanji!" One of the struggling chefs called as another new person entered the room. He wore a tall chefs hat and had a long braided mustache that stuck out straight on either side of his face. Luffy had to contain his awe, because as cool as the hat and mustache were-

_Was that a peg leg?!_

Nami and Zoro facepalmed when they saw stars in Luffys eyes, his jaw dropped.

"So cool~!" Luffy whispered quietly, Usopp silently nodding in agreement beside him.

"Hey, Sanji!" At the new mans words, Sanji stopped his struggling, glaring to the man.

"Are you going on a rampage in the restaurant again, you idiot?!" The owner asked as he walked closer.

"Shut up, you damn geezer!" Sanji said, the chefs letting him go once they realized his attention was solely focused on the owner.

"What'd you say?! Who do you think you're talking to?! Are you trying to put my restaurant out of business?! You brat!" Without warning, the owner swung out his peg leg, connecting with Sanjis face. On the ground, Fullbody was smiling.

"You, too! Get out of here already!" Again, the owner swung his peg leg, knocking Fullbody back on the ground and leaving him furious.

"You listen! The customer is king!" The chef with the gold earrings yelled to Sanji who looked indifferent.

"Just those who eat your damn crappy dishes," Sanji muttered.

"Patty, Sanji! If you wanna fight, do it in the kitchen!" The owner reprimanded. Someone stumbling in behind them surprised the Straw Hats, all of them turning and finding a bloody beaten marine stumbling in.

"Uh oh..." Nami muttered with a sigh, recognizing the marine as one that Luffy had kicked earlier.

"L-Lieutenant! Lieutenant Fullbody! W-we've got trouble!" He shouted, Fullbody, and everyone else turning to look at him. In doing so, they finally saw the Straw Hats standing there, the bloody marine moving in front of them, seemingly unaware of their presence.

"It's one thing after another here..." Zoro said, meanwhile Luffy was listening silently and without expression.

"What is it?! And whats 11097 doing here?! You were supposed to capture him!" Fullbody screamed in a mixture of fury and fear as his eyes bugged out, looking right at Luffy who frowned back.

"B-but sir! He's too strong! And to make matters worse, Pirate Kriegs underling escaped!" The Marine explained, noticeably moving further away from Luffy once he realized who he was.

"What?!" Fullbody asked, his fear rising.

"After seven of us finally captured him and got a lead on the Krieg Pirates..." The Marine muttered softly.

"Can't be! When we captured him three days ago, he was close to starving! And we haven't fed him at all since!" Fullbody exclaimed, his rage returning full force. Luffys frown deepened as an anger of his own began to take form.

"K-Krieg Pirates..."

"11097..."

"A Whitebeard Pirate and the strongest Pirates in the East Blue... in the same place..." Around them the customers of the Baratie were beginning to freak out, everyone's fear rising and allowing Luffy to let go of the anger.

"I'm very-" The Marine was suddenly stopped from speaking as a bang went off and he fell to the ground, Luffy feeling a sudden pain in the man before his emotions became muffled. Behind the Marine stood a man who was lowering a gun. With that, he began slowly walking into the restaurant, everyone watching him carefully.

"We have a new customer," Patty said, unfazed by the shooting that had just occurred.

"He'd better not shoot someone who'll go on a rampage in my place." The owner muttered in mere annoyance more than anything.

"A pirate, huh?" Luffy asked himself, head tilting as he examined the newcomer. His aura was relatively blue for a pirate. Over the years of fighting with the Whitebeards, Luffy had noticed that most pirates they came across that weren't allied with Whitebeard almost always had a least a little speck of gray in their auras, but not this man. It wasn't a clear crystal blue like Ace and Sabos, but it was still relatively blue.

The pirate walked slowly over to one of the unoccupied tables, passing Fullbody who turned his head to avoid looking at him. Sitting in the chair, the pirate put his foot casually on the table, relaxing.

"Anythings fine. Bring me food." He demanded, turning to look at Patty who was now standing beside him.

"This is a restaurant, right?" The pirate asked. Beside him, Pattys smile stretched wide on his face as he held his hands together in front of him.

"Welcome, ya damn crook." Patty greeted, some of the customers blanching at the words. The pirate only smiled, looking to his table.

"I'll say it one more time, so listen good. Bring me food." He demanded again as everyone watched on.

"The cook is gonna get killed..." Luffy heard Fullbody mutter.

"Umm, sir, I'm terribly sorry, but do you have money for that?" Patty asked, rubbing the top of his head. Suddenly, the gun that the pirate had was pointed at Pattys forehead.

"Would a bullet do?" He asked menacingly.

"So you don't have money, right?" The mood in Patty suddenly changed as he glared at the man. Within the blink of an eye, he raised his clasped hands into the air, slamming them down towards the pirate who dodged, consequently breaking the chair he'd been sitting on.

"What?!" The patrons and Fullbody gasped in surprise.

"Patty, that dumb ass! He broke the chair..." The owner muttered.

"What power!" Usopp said in awe. Around them, the mood of the patrons was changing now that they realized the chef was stronger then it seemed and could take on the pirate, many smiling.

"If you can't pay for the food, you're not a customer," Patty told the man who was now sitting on the ground.

"Good job, Cook!"

"Beat that pirate up, Patty-san!" The cheering around them was accompanied by a few whistles while Patty continued grinning. A gurgle from the starving pirates stomach was heard by both Patty and the Straw Hats.

"Oh... Your stomach is grumbling, pirate." Patty told him as if the man himself didn't notice.

"That was a fart, you stupid raccoon dog. Just bring me food." The pirate demanded once again, glaring up at the cook. Luffy could feel the pain, how hungry the pirate was, and he felt his own stomach rumble in sympathy, knowing how much it sucked to starve.

Surviving on only three bowls of soup a day in the facility had barely kept Ace and Luffy alive, they're fast metabolisms causing them to slowly starve despite having food. Even Sabo had suffered, having a bigger appetite than a normal person usually did and not used to the lack of nutrition. Having barely enough food to live for seven entire years had been almost as bad as all the horrible testing the doctors had done to him and his brothers.

"If you're not a customer, beat it already!" Patty screamed at the pirate, breaking Luffy from his memories. The cook began kicking the downed pirate in the stomach over and over, everyone cheering encouragingly around him. Luffy continued watching with a blank stare, but he could feel the frown working its way onto his face. He didn't even pay any attention to Fullbody and two other Marines who were crawling out of the restaurant in an attempt to escape.

Once the pirate was unmoving on the ground, Patty stopped kicking him, grinning widely.

"Now, dumb customers, please continue your meal!" He announced as everyone began clapping, cheering and whistling as they watched Patty curtsy to them. It seemed they'd already forgotten that Luffy was there, focused more on the other pirate instead.

Patty picked up the downed pirate, throwing him onto his shoulder and carrying him off to the back, everyone continuing to cheer.

"I'll be right back," Luffy said to his friends as he turned to walk back out of the restaurant.

"What? Where are you going?" Nami asked in surprise. Luffy didn't say anything though, the three watching him as he left.

"Oh well, may as well get some booze while we're here," Zoro said with a shrug.

"And some food. But after seeing all of that, these chefs are no joke." Usopp said with a frown, watching as everyone went on as normal, completely forgetting their previous fear.

Meanwhile, Luffy had climbed onto the upper part of the fish-shaped restaurant and walked over to where he could smell both Patty and the other pirate. He got there just in time to see Patty wipe his hands- the other Pirate laying silently on the ground- and then the cook left, heading back inside.

"Damnit! If I were in a normal state, I wouldn't have been... mocked by someone like that..." The pirate groaned out as he rolled over onto his stomach, too weak do move anymore. Luffy leaned over the railing of the second floor, looking down at him.

"Ne, are you hungry by any chance?" He asked the man. He had felt his pride back in the restaurant, that pride holding him back from admitting that he was hungry, and he wondered if now, after all that had happened, he would deny the hunger further.

"Shut up! I'm not hungry!" The pirate insisted, too weak to even look to Luffy in his state. Luffy frowned but was stopped from saying anything when the back door opened again and Sanji walked out, placing a plate of food in front of the hungry man. The man looked to the food in surprise, and then looked to Sanji who sat against the railing in front of him.

"Eat it." He said, taking out a cigarette. A strong desire to do as told filled the pirate, but at the same time, there was a fierce refusal, that pride overcoming his desire.

"Shut up! Beat it! Even when I'm down and out, I won't take charity from others. Take this food away now!" He told Sanji, turning his head as he clenched his teeth, visibly struggling not to dig in.

"Stop whining and eat it already! To me, anyone who's hungry is a customer." Sanji told him before he looked at the sky. Luffy continued watching silently, looking at Sanjis bright blue aura and giving a small smile.

"Sorry, but I'm not a customer." With another growl of the pirates stomach, he continued denying the food.

"How large and cruel the ocean is... How scary it is to lose food and water on the ocean... How hard it is..." Sanji said, and from his emotions, Luffy could tell he was talking from experience.

"I can understand how a hungry person feels more than anyone." He continued. Luffy frowned at that because he knew Sanji wasn't lying, and the thought of someone else starving like he had upset him.

"You can die for your pride if you want, but if you eat and survive, don't you think there's a future for you?" Sanji finished, a barely visible smile on his face as he looked over to the man. With a gulp and wide eyes, Luffy felt the pirates resolve fail. Hands darting forward, he grabbed the plate and spoon and began shoveling the still steaming food into his mouth as fast as he could, tears falling as he did.

"Sorry..." He said, stopping in his eating to rub an eye.

"Sorry... Thank you... I thought I'd die. I thought I was done..." And then he was shoveling the food again, the food already half gone in his desperation.

"Delicious... Delicious... I've never eaten food so delicious." He cried. Sanji was grinning behind him, a cigarette between his teeth.

"It's damn delicious, isn't it?" He asked, Luffy feeling the chefs pride swell at the compliments. Laughing loudly, the chef and pirate finally noticed Luffys presence.

"I found a good cook!" Luffy exclaimed with a wide smile as he watched them. After everything he'd seen and heard, he knew without a doubt that Sanji was not only a good chef but a good person as well.

"Hey you, it's a good thing that he gave you food! You almost died!" Luffy said with another laugh, knowing it to be true. He'd felt the pain from the mans hunger and knew he wouldn't have made it much longer. He was just glad he was finally able to push aside his pride and accept the food Sanji'd made him.

"Hey you, cook! Join my group!" Luffy said next, looking at Sanji now.

"Huh? Wait a minute, aren't you that 11097 guy?" Sanji asked, swirly eyebrow slanted in confusion as he observed Luffy. For as scary and ruthless as the marines made him out to be, this straw-hatted teen didn't look all that scary.

"That's right! Be the cook on my pirate ship!" Luffy said again, pointing his thumb to his chest.

"Huh?!" Both Sanji and the pirate exclaimed in shock. Jumping down from the upper floor, Luffy joined the two on the lower deck, sitting on top of the railing Sanji was leaning against. Food finished, the pirate turned to face him as well, interested.

"Whitebeard Pirate 11097. Gotta say, you don't look all that scary." The pirate said as he looked Luffy up and down.

"I never said I was scary..." Luffy said in slight confusion, head tilting and wondering where the man had gotten that idea from.

"And I'm not apart of Pops' crew anymore. I left and started my own, which is why I need a cook, and I think you'd be a good one!" Luffy explained as he turned to look at Sanji again.

"I don't care who you are or what you want, just don't do anything stupid to this restaurant. The owner of this place used to be a cook in a famous pirate group." Sanji said, brushing off the invitation, more worried about Luffy causing trouble.

"I see... so the old man was a pirate..." Luffy mused, thinking back to the peg-legged man with a smile.

"To that damn geezer, this restaurant is like his treasure... On top of that, those cooks, who came here out of admiration for him, are all hot-headed just like pirates. Well, they're actually perfect for this place since pirates like you come and go." The blonde continued nonchalantly as if he wasn't sitting beside a well-known criminal.

"Yeah, this restaurant is really wild." Luffy nodded in agreement, knowing as much from the few minutes he'd been here.

"Yeah. This is how it is here every day. There're even customers who come to see fights between cooks and pirates these days. Because of that the waiters all got scared and ran away." The chef finished.

"Ah, I see... Hey, join our group." Luffy said, reminded of his reasoning for talking to the man.

"I refuse. There's a reason that I have to work in this restaurant." Sanji told him with a frown, looking away from him. He wasn't able to be so lucky though as Luffy bent over, placing his face directly in front of Sanjis.

"No! I refuse!" The teen shouted, surprising Sanji who pressed back against the railing, trying to move away from Luffys close proximity.

"Wh-what do you mean?!" Sanji asked, not understanding what he was hearing. Not to mention, a pirate with a few hundred million bounty had their face extremely close to his, and for the first time, he realized that this man was possibly strong enough to take him no problem.

"I refuse your refusal! You're a good cook, so let's be pirates together." Luffy said stubbornly, arms crossed as he sat back up.

"Hey, listen to my reason," Sanji said as he moved away from the railing to better see Luffy.

"So what's that reason?" Luffy asked, ready to listen.

"I don't need to tell you," Sanji said, a tick mark forming on his forehead.

"Huh? You just told me to listen to your reason!" Luffy replied, growing annoyed himself now.

"I'm telling you to accept what I say! I'm gonna cut you into three pieces, you damn Straw Hat!" Sanji yelled, getting in Luffys face now, anger overpowering rational thought.

"What'd you say?! I'm gonna beat you up if you make fun of the straw hat, you jerkwad!" Luffy shouted back, equally angry thanks to Sanjis emotions, as well as the dis on his hat.

"Sorry to interrupt..." The pirate who had been sitting silently beside them suddenly spoke up.

"What?!" Both Sanji and Luffy shouted, turning to look at him with equal looks of fury.

"I'm Gin of the Krieg Pirates. So you left the Whitebeards? Do you have any goals?" He asked Luffy, oddly calm now despite facing who he knew to be a strong opponent. At the innocent question, Luffy grinned, his rage replaced with happiness at the thought of his dream.

"I'm aiming for the One Piece. I'm gonna go back to Paradise and then the New World. The One Piece is somewhere there, and I'm definitely gonna be the one to get it." Luffy said with such conviction that both Gin and Sanjis eyes widened.

"P-Paradise?" Gin stuttered out.

"Ah, right. Grand Line is what you guys call it, right?" Luffy asked, still trying to get used to that.

"How can you call that nightmare of a place Paradise?!" Gin asked in shock. Luffy blinked slowly at that, frowning as he looked at Gin and felt the terror in him at just the mention of the place.

"I don't know, that's just what Pops and the others always called it cause its Paradise compared to the New World," Luffy said with a shrug.

"The New World..." Sanji muttered quietly to himself, eyes still wide himself.

"Yeah, the second half. If you can't make it through Paradise, there's no way you'll survive the New World." The Straw Hatted teen explained.

"And you were apart of the Whitebeards who easily handled the Grand Line..." Gin said in realization. With how young Luffy looked, the idea that he had traversed places as dangerous as the Grand Line and lived surprised Gin.

"Given that you're looking for a cook, it seems your new crew only has a few members." The Krieg pirate realized, Luffy nodding in confirmation.

"Yep. He's the fifth member." Luffy said with a smile, pointing to Sanji.

"Why are you counting me?!" Sanji snapped indignantly, however, he was ignored. Gin looked over Luffy once more before sighing.

"I guess you already know then that traveling the Grand Line with so few people is suicide." Gin told him.

"Nah, not if you don't know what you're doing. Ne, do you know a lot about the Grand Line?" Luffy asked. It seemed as if Gin knew at least a little bit about the place with how much he was talking about it. Sweating and wide-eyed, Gin held his head with his hand.

"No... I don't know anything... I don't understand anything about it... That's exactly why I fear it..." Gin told him truthfully. Luffy tilted his head at the words, wondering what had him so spooked. The Grand Line, while no cakewalk by any means, wasn't _that_ scary.

"You're an underling of Krieg, and yet you talk so wimpily..." Sanji said, hands in his pockets where he stood beside Luffy who hadn't left his spot on the railing.

"Hmm? Who's Krieg?" Luffy asked, only briefly having heard his name earlier back in the restaurant, but even then he hadn't paid the name much attention.

"You haven't heard of him? Don Krieg is said to be the strongest and most evil pirate in the East Blue." Sanji told Luffy, taking the cigarette out of his mouth as he looked at Luffy, eyebrow raised.

"It's true. My Captains the don of a fleet that controls the Captains of 50 pirate ships. We have more than 5000 men in our ranks." Gin added though Luffy didn't seem all that intimidated by those numbers. Seeing this, Gin sighed and frowned, reminding himself he was talking to someone who had once been apart of a Yonkos crew. Standing, he moved to a tiny boat that was sitting in the water beside them.

"In any case, I've said my share." He said as he hopped into the boat, looking to Luffy and Sanji who were watching him.

"So long then..." He told them, holding the rope that had held the boat to the Baratie in his hand.

"Thank you so much, Sanji-san. I owe my life to you. The food you gave me was the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. Is it okay if I come back for it?" Gin asked almost sheepishly. Sanji smiled widely at that, his cigarette back in his mouth.

"Any time!" He told the pirate.

"Hey, Sanji!" Luffy and Sanji both turned to see the Owner standing on the upper floor, looking down at them.

"Geezer..." Sanji said with a sigh.

"There you are." The man said, noticing the empty plate on the ground.

"Go Gin," Sanji told the still lingering pirate who hesitated.

"Ah, sorry. You're gonna get yelled at, because you fed me for free, right?" He asked, rubbing his forehead.

"Well..." Sanji started, walking over to the empty plate and glass. Picking them up, he walked back over to the railing, dropping them into the ocean.

"There's no proof so there's no reason for me to be yelled at." The blonde told him with a grin. Gin looked close to tears at this, but nodded, unfurling his sail.

"Don't ever get caught again, Gin!" Sanji said in farewell as he and Luffy, as well as the Owner, watched the boat sail off.

"Thank you, Sanji-san! I'll never forget your kindness!" Gin said gratefully, kneeling on the deck and bowing his head, touching it to the ground. When the boat was far enough away, the owner finally spoke up again.

"Sanji! Get to work already!" Luffy and Sanji turned to look at the man, Sanji tsking but looking like he was going to do as told.

"Shishishi, see you soon Sanji!" Luffy laughed, jumping off the railing and beginning to make his way back to the front of the ship. Sanji watched him walk off, ready to retort, but decided against it.

Shaking his head, he walked into the kitchen without a word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Sanji has made his appearance! The third member of the monster trio has arrived.
> 
> Already things have changed from canon. Seeing as Luffy is a highly wanted criminal who is wanted alive only, I feel like Fullbody would realize that they shouldn't do something as detrimental as shooting at them with a cannon and would instead order his men to do the dirty work while he went and relaxed at the restaurant. After all, he seems like someone who thinks they're high and mighty compared to others and wouldn't want to bother himself with actually doing any heavy lifting such as capturing Luffy and his crew.
> 
> Since no cannon was shot, Luffy didn't end up working at the restaurant to pay off any debt and is instead an actual customer. It's not a big change, and it's not anything that other writers have explored before, but it felt like a logical change to make in this story.
> 
> Anyway, not only did we meet Sanji, but we met Gin as well who is- as we know- going to head off back to Krieg. I'm still working on the big fight between Krieg and Luffy- and not to mention what I'm going to have Nami do in regards to stealing Merry and heading back to Arlong- but so far I think it's going alright! I can't wait to show you guys the next few chapters and I hope you'll continue to stick with me!
> 
> Again, as always, thank you all for your support on my stories! I feel bad that I don't get around to replying to everyones reviews, but I get so caught up in real life things that I completely forget to check who I have and haven't responded to. So sorry for that, and hopefully I'll be better about that in the future.
> 
> In any case, I love you all so so soooo much! I hope to see you again in two weeks with the next chapter!


	12. Kriegs Arrival

"Luffy, you're back!" Usopp greeted, watching as Luffy walked into the restaurant, waving him over to the table they were sitting at.

"You guys started eating without me?" Luffy whined, pouting a little as he noticed all the food on the table.

"Calm down, we got you something too," Zoro told him, gesturing to the empty chair that had a plate of seafood in front of it.

"Really?! You guys are the best!" Luffy cheered, his previous misgivings gone as he darted to his seat and sat down, beginning to eat without a seconds hesitation. Nami rolled her eyes at that, eating her own food at a much more normal pace.

"Anyways, where have you been?" She asked curiously, noticing that Luffy had been gone a while.

"Oh, I was looking for our chef." He answered between bites of food.

"Did you find one?" Usopp asked conversationally, resting his head in his hand.

"Mm! He's pretty cool-"

"Oh, dear ocean! I thank you for todays encounter!" Sanjis sudden appearance surprised them all. He was kneeling beside Namis chair, a flower outstretched towards her as he held his other hand over his heart.

"What?" Nami asked, eyes wide as she was caught off guard.

"Oh love, I can't bear this hardship. Go ahead and laugh at me. I'm now prepared to be a lowly pirate or devil if I'm with you!" Sanji proclaimed, his eyes forming hearts as he gazed at Nami.

"However, how tragic it is! there's too great an obstacle between us!" Sanji exclaimed loudly, standing and raising his hands into the air while Nami held the flower apprehensively as she eyed Sanji.

"That obstacle is me, right Sanji?" The sound of the owners peg leg on the hard ground sounded as he walked their way. The hearts in Sanjis eyes were gone in an instant, his smile replaced with an irritated frown.

"Damn geezer!" He cursed quietly to himself.

"This is a good opportunity. Why don't you become a pirate with them? You're no longer needed at this restaurant!" At those words, Sanji turned and glared at the man.

"Hey, you damn geezer! I'm the Sous Chef here. What do you mean you no longer need me?!" Sanji asked, his hands in his pockets. His body was still facing the Straw Hats, but his head was turned to glare at the owner who was now leaning against a table nearby, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You often get into trouble with customers. You flare your nostrils the second you see a girl. You cant even cook a decent meal, so you're deadweight to this restaurant. That's what I said." The owner listed out.

Yet, Luffy could feel he was lying.

It confused him as to why the owner was being so mean to Sanji, making it look and sound as if he didn't think Sanjis abilities were good but was really just lying the entire time. If he actually thought Sanji was a good chef, why did he want him to leave so bad?

"Say that again..." Sanji growled out angrily. Laughing was heard coming from the top of the stairs where a group of chefs stood, listening.

"Also, the other cooks steer clear of you... So go be a pirate or whatever and just leave this restaurant already!" At the owners words, Sanji turned his body towards the man fully now.

"Say what? If I keep quiet, you just shoot your mouth off, huh? You damn geezer!" Sanji started, walking closer to the owner.

"The rest I could overlook, but I'm not just gonna let you trash my cooking! No matter what you say, I'll stay here as a cook! And that's final!" Sanji said, yelling the last bit and grabbing the owner by his shirt. The conviction in Sanjis words and emotions told Luffy that the chef would stand by them; however, he could feel from the owner that that was the last thing he wanted. There was a feeling of resignation, a feeling of irritation, and a feeling of anger all mixing together in the man.

"Just what's the meaning of you grabbing the owner by the collar? You idiot!" And with that, the owner removed Sanjis hands and grabbed him back, throwing Sanji across the room and into the table where the Straw Hats had been listening silently. Seeing this, the crew grabbed their plates, holding them safely in the air as their table collapsed.

"Damn you... Quit screwing around... No matter how hard you try to kick me out, I'll continue to work here as a cook... until you die!" Sanji yelled to the owner who was walking away now.

"I won't die! I'll live 100 more years!" The man shouted back, not even turning his head as he did. It was strange for Luffy to watch and know that both these strong-willed men weren't going to compromise. With how adamant Sanji was to defy the owners words, Luffy knew that- no matter how many times he was insulted- he wouldn't leave this restaurant. The Owner was determined to undermine the blonde chefs abilities, lying convincingly to Sanjis face, and because of that Sanji only became even more determined to stay.

It was a vicious, never-ending cycle, and Luffy briefly wondered if he should just call out the owner on his lies or not.

"That geezer is never short of words..." Sanji muttered, picking himself up off the ground. The frown left Luffys face as he placed a hand on Sanjis shoulder.

"All right, you have permission! Now you can become a pirate!" He told the chef, even though he knew Sanji was going to refuse him regardless. It was worth a try though.

"No way!" Luffy only laughed, having expected this reaction. Sanji picked up their table- which had miraculously stayed in one piece- and fixed it upright once more.

"Now... sorry about that." He said, placing a cup of fruit in front of Nami and pouring her a new glass.

"I'd like to make up for it by serving you fruit Macedonia, my princess." He said, nostrils flaring just like the owner accused him of earlier.

"Wow, thank you! You're so kind!" Nami told him sweetly, enjoying the special treatment. Beside her, Usopp jumped over, a look of annoyance on his face.

"And no apology for us?! I'm gonna sue you, you stupid love cook!" He yelled out. Sanji got into Usopps face- the liars long nose bending at the close proximity- and in the blondes hand he held a steaming cup.

"I'm serving you tea, aren't I? Thank me for that, long nose." Sanji told him.

"Huh? You wanna fight? I won't go easy on you. Beat him up Zoro!" Usopp shouted, looking to Zoro who was sipping his tea.

"Do it yourself." He muttered.

"What?! Luffy, what about you?!" Usopp asked, turning to his Captain who was back to shoveling the last bit of food into his mouth. It seemed Sanji hesitated at this, his own eyes drifting to Luffy, yet his face held no emotion. Luffy could feel a small flicker of worry, and maybe briefly a feeling of fear, but it was gone just as fast when Luffy shook his head.

"Nah, I like Sanji so I'm not gonna fight him," Luffy told Usopp in a deadpan voice. Nami, who was sitting under Usopp and Sanji, held her hands together, her eyebrows furrowing in mock worry.

"Stop! Please don't fight because of me." She pleaded, leaning towards Sanji whose eyes turned back into hearts.

"Yes, I'll stop." He told her with a smile.

"Who said it was because of you?!" Usopp screeched at Namis head, the woman not even looking at him, focused on Sanji.

"By the way, you know..." She started as if nervous. Luffy could feel that she was deceiving the chef, but didn't say anything, instead grabbing more food off of Usopps abandoned plate.

"Yes?" Sanji asked diligently.

"The food you have here is delicious... but it seems a little expensive for me..." She told him, even going so far as to rub Sanjis chin, making the man swoon.

"Of course, it'll be free." He told her, and now Luffy could feel that Nami was truly happy, matching the expression on her face.

"Thank you!" She cried, hugging Sanji tightly, the man looking to be in bliss.

"Yours are not free." He suddenly said, looking to Zoro as he spoke, the heart eyes gone again.

"Wha-" Usopp cried.

"You're too predictable," Zoro said into his tea. Luffy only laughed at this.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

With Luffy determined to make Sanji their chef and Sanji's adamant refusal, the crew had ended up staying at the Baratie for another four days. Of course, this meant that everyone was getting a little antsy, ready to set sail any time now, but Luffy refused by telling them that he didn't want anyone else to be their chef.

Today, it was foggy out which made it difficult to see too far without everything being swallowed in a haze of white. The crew were lounging on the Merry, Nami and Usopp standing against the railing while Zoro was sitting against it, his hands behind his head. Luffy was sitting on top of the railing, looking off into the fog as he thought.

"When can we leave here?" Usopp asked, looking over to the Baratie.

"When Sanji agrees to be our chef," Luffy answered easily, his stubbornness showing.

"Are you really going to stay here until then? For all we know, that'll take months!" Nami said to Luffy. The teen had noticed that as more time passed Nami had been growing increasingly anxious and uncomfortable, but he hadn't said anything about it. He knew the navigator was still having a hard time understanding his abilities, so he wasn't going to mention them much around her.

It didn't stop him from worrying though, especially when he could start feeling that small hint of fear slowly growing within her. Unlike before, this fear wasn't due to Luffy, but something else, and that only worried Luffy further.

"I don't know, maybe if you ask him that love cook'll agree and we can finally leave," Zoro suggested, Usopp nodding his agreement to that plan while Luffy turned to smile at Nami.

"Would you?!" Luffy asked eagerly. He knew Sanji liked Nami, he was always really happy around her and did whatever she said, so maybe Zoro was right and all they needed to do was have her ask him.

"He _has_ been letting me eat here free these past four days," Nami said to herself, looking as if she was considering doing it.

"Hey, if asking him to join doesn't work, maybe you can get him to let us eat free too. Paying for food every day is starting to get pricey." Usopp muttered though Nami looked as if he wasn't listening to him.

"It won't work." Luffy suddenly realized, everyone turning to look at him, confused by his words. Only seconds ago he had seemed onboard with the idea, and now he was saying it wouldn't work?

"Why's that?" Nami asked curiously. Luffy glanced over to her for a second, remembering that he didn't want to bring up his abilities around her, but she had been the one to ask.

"He doesn't want to leave cause the owner keeps lying to him. It makes him angry and more determined so he's decided to stay. The owner's not gonna stop lying, but he wants Sanji to leave." Luffy explained to the best of his ability. It was hard sometimes to explain people's emotions because he only got impressions from them, and putting those impressions into words was difficult.

"Lying? About what?" Usopp asked in confusion. Anytime they'd seen the violent owner he'd seemed to be speaking the truth about whatever he was talking about.

"Whenever he says Sanji can't cook. He's lying. He knows he can, but he doesn't say it and that's why Sanji gets so mad." Luffy told him.

"If you ask me, this guy's more trouble then its worth. I'm sure we can find a better cook elsewhere." Zoro said with a shrug of his shoulders, leaning back further into the railing and getting comfy. Luffy frowned, ready to argue that Sanji was the only chef he'd accept, but then his haki picked up on something growing closer.

Head snapping back to the sea, Luffy frowned, head tilting and eyebrows creasing as he tried seeing through the dense fog.

"What? What is it?" Nami asked, she and Usopp both not liking the look on Luffys face. Their tone of voice made Zoro open his eyes in curiosity, looking and finding Luffy sitting rather stiffly on the railing.

"Someone's coming. Lots of people." Luffy told them quietly as he tried figuring out how many people there were; how strong they were. He knew that there were a lot of them, but his haki wasn't good enough to pinpoint exactly how many there were. He could feel a lot of emotions too, similar to how Gin had been when he'd gotten here. The people were in pain, hungry, tired, weak.

"Where? I don't see anyone." Usopp said nervously as he peered off into the fog, eyes squinting as if that would help. Suddenly, from the fog, a giant ship appeared, much bigger than both the Merry and the Baratie. Seeing this, both Nami and Usopp began to freak out and Zoro stood, moving closer to the railing.

"Hey, this isn't good! Shouldn't we just get out of here?!" Usopp asked fearfully. Behind him, Johnny and Yosaku- who had been in the galley- came out, their jaws dropping at the sight of the ship.

"What a huge galleon!" Nami exclaimed.

"T-the Krieg Pirates!" Johnny and Yosaku stated in shock, Luffy remembering that name.

"Krieg? I wonder if Gin came back to repay Sanji for his kindness." Luffy said with a smile as he took in the size of the giant ship. It was reminiscent of the Mobys size and made him nostalgic for his home.

"I don't think so..." Zoro mumbled. As the fog began to clear up, they all saw the state of the ship, seeing that instead of the unmarked, new look of the Merry, the Krieg Pirates' ship had chunks of wood missing, snapped masts, and torn sails. It looked like the ship had fought a hurricane and lost.

"Their ship sure is beat up..." Luffy noted as he got off the railing and began heading towards the boat they'd been using to travel back and forth between the Baratie and Merry.

"W-where are you going?!" Usopp asked, eyes darting between Luffy and the Krieg's ship.

"To the Baratie. If these guys aren't friendly, I'll beat 'em up." Luffy said as if it were obvious. He'd heard Sanji say that this place was the owners treasure, and he'd be damned if he let a bunch of East Blue pirates destroy it.

"Hold on! Wait a minute! You can't solve everything by fighting!" Nami yelled. Luffy looked at her in confusion, not understanding.

"I cant?" He asked. So far, he hadn't had a problem that couldn't be solved with fighting.

"No! Besides, look at the size of that ship! You couldn't take all of them on by yourself!" She exclaimed, her emotions telling Luffy that she was slightly worried for him, but overall she was still anxious and scared.

"Sure I could," Luffy told her with a grin before turning around and continuing on to the boat. Johnny and Yosaku had yet to move, seeming to be frozen in their shock, and Nami and Usopp looked about the same themselves. Zoro was the only one, other than Luffy, who didn't seem fazed by the new pirates' arrival.

"Guess I'll tag along. It's better then sitting here doing nothing." He said with a shrug as he did just that, following after Luffy who grinned over his shoulder at him.

"W-wait a minute! What if they come to the Merry?! I-I think I'll come along too!" Usopp said nervously, not wanting to be left alone. Well, he wouldn't have been alone, but Luffy and Zoro were the power houses of the crew, and with both of them leaving, there would be no one left to fight should it come down to it.

"You three have fun! I'll be staying safely on the Merry!" Nami told them, holding her arms up in an X formation and shaking her head.

"Alright. See ya later!" Luffy told her with a wave, the woman blinking in surprise momentarily at that. Luffy didn't know why his words surprised her, or why she suddenly felt guilty, but he shrugged it off, resigned in knowing there was a lot about Nami he didn't understand.

"Y-yeah. Don't go and get yourselves killed, you hear?" She asked, her hands moving to her hips now as the surprise left her face, instead replaced with a stern look like a mother warning her child.

"Shishishi!" Luffy only laughed as he, Zoro, and Usopp hopped onto the tiny boat and began rowing to the Baratie. Already, Luffy could see Sanji and the owner standing in front of the restaurant, Sanji in front of the doors and the owner on the second level, the two of them gazing up at the large ship in front of them. When the three finally reached the outer deck, they walked over to Sanji.

"You guys're still here?" Sanji asked, only briefly looking their way to acknowledge them.

"Yup! So it looks like Gin brought the rest of his crew." Luffy said, standing beside Sanji and looking at the ship.

"Looks that way. Their ship isn't looking too good either." Sanji said, taking a drag of his cigaretteand letting the smoke billow out of his mouth afterward.

"Doesn't seem like they were attacked by cannons, but then again, it's hard to think that damage is manmade." He said as he looked over the cracks and gashes in the ship. After he said this, they all saw someone begin staggering across the destroyed ships deck.

"Here he comes..." With narrowed eyes Sanji took the cigarette out of his mouth, stomping it out on the ground. The four of them decided to head into the restaurant because if these pirates didn't intend on fighting, that meant they would want food. Luffy noticed that the owner had gone in as well, but that thought was quickly pushed aside when he felt the sudden onslaught of everyones fear and worry slam into him at once.

He hadn't noticed earlier, too focused on the thought of fighting, but the restaurant was practically oozing out the negative emotions due to how many people were inside looking out the windows and watching the Krieg Pirates.

A few deep breaths later, and the shaking in Luffys hands had gone away. He decided to ignore the look Zoro sent him as a result.

Once they were inside, it didn't take long for the doors to open back up to show Gin there as he helped a much taller, bigger man into the room. There were audible whispers and gasps from the surrounding diners as they took in the mans appearance, the bandages wrapped around his head, the giant coat hung on his shoulders, and the intimidating look on his face.

"S-sorry... Can I have some water and food? We have money... tons of money..." Gin said, visibly shaking under the weight of the man he was supporting.

"I don't even remember the last time I ate. Please... give me some water and food..." The man Gin was supporting, Krieg, said, coughing in the middle. Luffy frowned at the mans words, and a quick look of his aura showed that he, like Kuro and Morgan, had a dark aura.

Luffy didn't know what it said about his journey that he'd already met three dark-colored people in the short time he'd been sailing.

"W-whats that?!"

"He shows neither dignity nor force. Is he really that Don Krieg, Commodore of the grand pirate fleet?" Patty and another chef spoke behind them.

"So he's hungry..." Luffy said quietly, more to himself than to his companions. Usopps legs were beginning to shake, but Zoro still looked unfazed, taking in Krieg with a calculating look. Sanji took this as his cue to leave, walking away and up the stairs with no one stopping him. Luffy continued watching Krieg and noticed that Gins struggling to hold him up was getting worse. Seconds after that realization, Krieg was falling sideways, Gin unable to support him anymore.

"C-Captain!" He called out, the two of them falling. Krieg had fallen face forward onto his stomach while Gin kneeled beside him.

"P-Please! Help our Captain! He's really about to starve! He hasn't eaten anything for days! He'll die if he doesn't eat!" Gin called out but was met with the faces of the diners, all of them glaring his way, none of them wanting to help. It looked as if the chefs felt the same way, all of them crowded on the stairs, not making a move to help. Seeing this, Luffy felt Gins worry grow, a distressed look on his face.

"This is good! It's a riot to see the famous arch rogue Don Krieg like this!" Patty laughed, standing from where he'd been hiding on the stairs.

"We have money this time. We're customers!" Gin cried.

"Don't be ridiculous! Hey, contact the Navy right away." Patty said to one of the nearby chefs. Luffys frown deepened at the mans words, a shiver running down his spine. Although he wasn't on Kriegs side- he would never be on the side of someone with a dark aura- he didn't agree with the chefs decision.

Sure, this pirate was apparently strong and these chefs were just looking out for themselves, but Krieg was clearly starving and denying him food was too cruel in Luffys mind. To be so close to food, yet unable to eat it after days of starving was torture and Luffy was almost ready to go and make the man something himself.

"He's at his weakest right now. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! There's no need to feed him anything. Keep him under arrest." Patty ordered. Gins anger grew at the words and Luffy was clenching his fists. He knew the marines, and he knew the likelihood of them feeding Krieg once they had him was close to none. Sending him off with them was practically a death sentence.

"He's right! We don't know what he'll do once his energy's back."

"He's done bad things."

"He deserved to starve because of everything he's done!"

"Once he's back to normal, I bet he'll attack this restaurant straight away. There's no need to give him even a glass of water." Around them, the chefs and diners all talked amongst themselves, all in agreement that there would be no helping the pirate.

"I won't do anything..." Krieg said in a weak voice, struggling to sit up.

"I won't do anything... Once I eat, I promise I'll leave quietly. So please... help... me..." The man was bowing his head to them, Gin watching with wide eyes.

"Don Krieg, please stop! Please stop begging! It's not something you should do! Please don't do something so disgraceful!" Gin pleaded, but Krieg ignored him.

"I promise... please... I'll take leftovers or anything... Anything..." The Captain continued pleading. Seeing this, it looked as if many of the diners were changing their mind, frowns on their faces as they saw the man beg.

"Don..." Gin whispered tears in his eyes.

"Ha! Are you trying to gain our sympathy?" Patty asked, though even he looked like he'd been swayed a little by the display.

"Hey, out of my way, Patty." Sanji suddenly said, walking down the stairs. Without any more warning, he kicked his leg out, his foot hitting Patty in the face and pushing him into the wall, cracking the wall and making the man fall forward, off the stairs and onto the ground below.

"Oh boy..." One of the chefs muttered.

"S... Sanji-san!" Gin said in surprise, turning to see Sanji walking over with a large bowl of food and a bottle of wine.

"Here, Gin. Let him eat it." The blonde said, setting the food in front of Krieg.

"Sanji-san..." Gin said softly again. Luffy smiled at Sanjis actions, and his resolve to make him his chef only grew.

"Thank you!" Krieg said, crying as he shoveled the food into his mouth with his hands, forgoing the silverware all together. Behind him, Luffy heard, and then saw, a chef come barreling down the stairs, knocking another one down as he did.

"Hey, Sanji! Take that food away now!" He yelled, pointing to them as he did and making Luffys smile fall again.

"Do you realize what kind of man he is?! He's the man who's called the East Blue Ruler, the foul player Krieg!" He shouted before launching into a story of how Krieg had gotten the name, how he'd pretended to be a marine, and how he played dirty.

"Leaving after eating? That's not possible with him! Letting suck a wicked fiend die without help is for society's sake!" The chef finished. Luffy knew he was right about one thing though, that Krieg wouldn't leave after eating. He'd felt that the man had been lying when he'd promised to do so, and even though that was reason enough for Luffy to call him out, he wanted to make sure he ate before then. Fighting a starving man would be no fun.

He never got a chance to call him out on it though, because as the chef finished yelling, Krieg slammed the now empty bottle of wine on the ground and stood up. No one had a chance to do anything as the pirate swung his arm forward, hooking it around Sanjis neck and slamming him down on his back.

"S... Sanji!" The chef who had been yelling called out, everyone watching in shock, even Gin. Luffy stepped forward at this, a scowl on his face, and the diners all began running for the backdoor, some screaming in fear as they did.

"Th... This isn't what we agreed to, Don Krieg!" Gin shouted

"I brought you here under the condition that you wouldn't touch this restaurant! And that man saved our lives..." Gin was cut short as Krieg grabbed his arm, raising him into the air.

"Yeah, that was delicious." He said with a frown, tightening his hold on Gins arm. At this, Gin screamed out, grabbing at Kriegs hand in a vain attempt at loosening the mans grip.

"I feel alive again." He continued, grinning now and letting go of Gin, letting him fall unceremoniously to the ground. Luffy felt his anger increasing, not liking how Krieg had treated not only Sanji but Gin as well. They were both good people, and Krieg- now that he was revived- was someone Luffy couldn't wait to fight.

"H-hey... T-this is getting a little out of hand..." Usopp said, sweating and shaking in terror as he watched Krieg display his strength.

"Hurting his own crew member," Zoro said with a frown, not liking how he'd treated Gin either. He didn't know Gin personally, but from what he'd seen, he was loyal to his Captain, and for Krieg to use him as a demonstration rubbed Zoro the wrong way.

Now that all the diners were gone, all that was left were the chefs and the three Straw Hats. Krieg looked around the restaurant with a frown, and once he'd scanned it all, he grinned again.

"This is a good restaurant. I'll take this ship." He determined, the chefs' jaws dropping at the words.

"So... that's what you want..." Sanji said as he struggled to sit up, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, yet he was grinning back at Krieg.

"Ow, ow, ow..." Patty, who had been unconscious after his fall from the stairs looked up to see Krieg towering over him, making him scream in fear.

"My ship became a wreck, so I wanted a new one. You'll get off this ship after you take care of what I tell you to do." Krieg ordered.

"W-What?!"

"Don Krieg... This isn't what you promised." Gin muttered, still laying on the ground and holding his arm that Krieg had hurt.

"There're about 100 of my underlings still alive on my ship." Krieg started, sticking a thumb out behind him, pointing to his destroyed ship outside.

"Only 100?" Luffy mumbled with a pout, crossing his arms over his chest. Usopps eyes widened as he looked at Luffy incredulously and Zoro raised an eyebrow at him.

"O-only 100?! You say that as if you're disappointed!" Usopp shrieked, squeaking and covering his mouth as he realized he might have drawn Kriegs attention. Seeing that he hadn't, he sighed in relief.

"They're weak with hunger and severe injuries. First, prepare 100 meals and water for them. There're some who've already starved to death." Krieg continued.

"Bring them over immediately!" He finished with a bark.

"Are you telling us to revive pirates that are gonna attack this ship?! We refuse!" The chef from earlier shouted bravely, though he was sweating and Luffy could feel his terror.

"Refuse? Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not placing an order. I'm _giving_ you orders. It doesn't matter who you are... don't defy me!" He screamed, many of the chefs shrieking in fear at the words.

"Sanji-san, I'm sorry... I didn't mean for this to happen..." Gin apologized.

"You son of a bitch! Look what you've done!" Patty yelled at Sanji, yet the blonde didn't say anything where he continued to lay. Finally, he got up, hands stuffed in his pockets, and began walking back towards the stairs, passing Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp.

"W-wheres he going?!" Usopp asked frightfully, regretting coming along.

"Hey, Sanji! Where're you going?!" Another chef repeated. Sanji stopped at the bottom of the stairs, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"To the kitchen. I have to prepare 100 more meals." He said, surprising everyone except Luffy.

"Sanji-san!" Gin called.

"Sanji?!" The chefs yelled.

"What?!" Everyone screamed. At the doors, Krieg grinned again.

"Right. That's how it should be." Krieg said arrogantly, and all over again, Luffy wanted to pound the smug smile off his face.

Sanji was stopped from going any further though as the chefs surrounded him, all of them wielding giant pots, knives, and forks that they pointed in Sanjis direction.

"Are you Kriegs spy, Sanji?!"

"We can't let you go in the kitchen!"

"We're fed up with your crazy behavior!" They shouted angrily. Sanji, with no expression, took his hands out of his pockets, stretching them out at his sides.

"Go ahead..." He said, causing many of them to hesitate in surprise.

"If you want to stop me, go ahead!" He repeated, almost daring them to attack, yet they did nothing.

"He's an incorrigible rogue... I know that much... But that doesn't matter to me. That doesn't matter! What happens after we feed them... It's too much to bother to think about it. I'm a cook. No more. No less. If there's someone who's hungry, I'll feed them. That's all. It's alright for a cook to be that way, don't you think?" Sanji asked, the chefs listening with wide eyes. Luffy smiled at his chefs words- because he had no doubt in his mind now Sanji would be his chef- and agreed with them himself. Sanjis words reminded him of Thatch, and maybe that was why Luffy liked the blonde so much.

Whatever the chefs' decision was going to be though, they had no say because Patty suddenly charged, elbowing Sanji in the back and knocking him down again.

"Patty!" One of them yelled.

"Hey, someone keep him restrained! Sanji, you sometimes feed customers I drive away at the back door, don't you? I'm not gonna say who's right, but this time, it's your mistake. I'm not gonna let you do what you want any longer. I'll protect this restaurant." Patty said as he walked over to a cabinet.

"Fortunately, we have only one enemy to fight. Even if it's Don Krieg, what can he do against us?" Patty asked as he continued rummaging around in the cabinet.

"This is a sea restaurant where pirates come and go every day. We're fully prepared to serve any kind of customer!" He said, finding whatever it was he was looking for and pulling it out.

"That's..." Sanji said from the ground.

"Are you full now, Krieg-san? After the main course, how about..." Krieg watched in confusion as Patty pulled the cloth off of whatever he was holding, spinning it around.

"A piece of iron dessert?!" He shouted, showing he was holding a large bazooka that looked like a lobster.

"Meat Ball of Doom!" Patty called out, firing the weapon. With a loud, bright blast, a cannonball came flying out of the weapon and right at Krieg who stood unmoving.

"Don!" Gin cried, but he couldn't see what happened as a large smoke cloud formed, masking everyones view.

"I might've broken the doors. Owners gonna yell at me again," Patty remarked as he stood proudly, waiting for the cloud to disappear.

"Well, you did it to protect the restaurant. It's a small price to pay." Another chef said. Luffy frowned, knowing for a fact that Krieg hadn't been affected by the hit.

"What're you gonna do about those in Kriegs ship?" Sanji asked from where he was still sitting on the ground.

"I don't know. Maybe we'll spread butter on the ship and stir-fry it..." Patty suggested.

"It'll taste good, right?! You lame cook!" Kriegs voice yelled out, surprising everyone except Luffy.

"How dare you serve such a nasty dessert! This is the lousiest restaurant!" Krieg continued yelling. His coat was gone, as well as his shirt, and now he was showing off shining gold armor. From his shoulders and sides, guns appeared, and he also held two in his hands.

"You're damn annoying!" Krieg yelled, pointing his guns at the chefs and beginning to fire. Seeing this Luffy ran forward, getting as close to the guns as he could to ensure that none would get past him. Round after round went off, and once the chefs realized what he was doing, their fear doubled.

"H-Hey!"

"Isn't that 11097?!"

"He was still here?!"

"He's getting hit by all the bullets!" Luffy ignored the yelling, gritting his teeth as he felt nearly every piece of his body get hit by the bullets, the skin stretching as a result.

"H-his skin..."

"It's stretching?!"

"Didn't the Marines say something about that?" Again the words were ignored, and finally, the reign of bullets stopped, Krieg grinning at Luffy.

"You idiot, don't defy me!" He told him, clearly thinking that Luffy had been killed by the barrage. He was proven wrong however when Luffy looked up at him, grinning to him. This surprised Krieg so much that he stepped back, Gin watching with wide eyes.

"I think you lost something. Here, have 'em back!" Luffy said, letting his body snap back to normal, sending the bullets flying back at Krieg who continued to remain unmoving. Most of the bullets hit his armor, leaving him unscathed as the rest hit the walls behind him.

"And who are you?" He asked Luffy with a glare.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy," Luffy said, standing straight as he glared right back at Krieg.

"That's right, Gin said you were here, 11097. He also mentioned that you left the Yonkos crew. I thought you would be gone by now." Krieg said, his eyes widening slightly and sweat starting to form. Despite the reaction, Luffy could feel that he wasn't all that scared, rather, he was suddenly greedy.

Everyone else who hadn't heard of Luffys departure from Whitebeards crew began muttering to themselves in shock, surprised Luffy had left such an infamous pirate crew.

"A pirate whos successfully sailed the Grand Line..." Krieg muttered softly to himself, a grin forming on his face at his words.

"No matter, I'm the strongest! Someone like you stands no chance against me! Steel arms more powerful than anyone, a wootz steel made body that is harder than anyones, and a diamond fist that can destroy anything! I have all sorts of built-in weapons throughout my body... the 50-ship large fleet and 5000 pirate force! I've won all battles that I've fought! I am the man fit to be called Don!" Krieg announced. Luffys glare never let up and frankly, he was unimpressed by the weapons Krieg had mentioned. When one of your ship brothers could turn his whole body into diamonds, Kriegs fist looked like a toy in comparison.

"Out of my way kid!" The owner suddenly said from behind Luffy. Turning, the straw-hatted teen saw that the man was carrying a large bag on his shoulder, using it to push Luffy out of the way. Dropping it in front of Krieg, the owner glared at him.

"There's probably enough for 100 meals in this. Bring it to your ship right away." He said to Krieg.

"Owner Zeff!" The chefs yelled from behind them.

"I could've gotten hurt!" Luffy whined to Zeff, holding his hat as he frowned at him, but the owner ignored him.

"Z-Zeff?" Krieg asked, his eyes wide again like when he'd recognized Luffy.

"What're you doing?!"

"What're you thinking?!"

"If we revive even those on the ship, our restaurant will be completely taken over!" The chefs asked the Owner incredulously, not understanding the mans motives. Did he want the pirates to attack them? Zeff ignored their concerns as he walked back towards the stairs, but then he stopped.

"If they have the will to fight that is... Right, defeated warrior of the Grand Line?" Zeff asked, turning to look at Krieg over his shoulder. Krieg stared dumbfounded, quickly followed by the chefs doing the same.

"C...Cant be... Don Krieg is a defeated warrior..."

"Then even the ruler of the East Blue couldn't... Even the pirate fleet with 50 ships couldn't sail across..." At the chefs words, Gin was looking to the ground, a look of defeat on his face.

"They couldn't even get through Paradise?" Luffy asked himself, wondering if these guys were even all that strong.

"Y... You must be Red Foot Zeff!" Krieg called out, ignoring everyone mocking him, still focused on the owner.

"So you are alive..." He said in a low voice, the greed back as his eyes narrowed, shifting between Luffy and Zeff.

"An incomparable pirate who was a cook and yet also a captain... And 11097, a pirate whos sailed with the Yonko Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world..." Krieg continued, his lips twitching upwards slightly. Luffy didn't like the slimy greed that Krieg was starting to emit, it reminded him too much of Teach after seeing the devil fruit Thatch had found all that time ago.

"So what if I'm alive? It has nothing to do with you. As you can see, I live as a cook now." Zeff said, gesturing to the restaurant around him. At his words, Krieg began laughing loudly.

"If you put it that way, it sounds nice... though rather than living as a cook, it looks like you can live only as a cook. " Krieg said, gesturing to the mans peg leg, insinuating that because of it, Zeff wasn't able to be a pirate anymore. He began retelling stories he'd heard of Zeffs strong and powerful kicks, how he'd been revered as Red Leg Zeff, and at the end, he gestured once more to the peg leg.

"But you no longer have that precious leg of yours... I've heard the rumor. How unlucky for you to have an accident at sea... To you, losing one of your legs must mean you are unable to fight." Krieg assumed. Zeff showed no emotion, and Luffy could tell that he wasn't getting angry by the words Krieg was saying, staying indifferent.

"What about fighting? I can cook without a leg as long as I have these hands." Zeff told him, raising his hands in example.

"What're you trying to say? Just come right out and say it!" Zeff demanded. Krieg chuckled again at that, grinning maliciously.

"Red Leg Zeff. You're the man who once entered the Grand Line and came back unhurt. The same could be said for 11097 there. You two no doubt have log books chronicling your journeys! Give them to me!" He demanded.

"Woah! You've been to Paradise too, old man?" Luffy asked Zeff with a grin, ignoring Krieg.

"Yeah..." Zeff affirmed, looking at Krieg as he spoke.

"I knew you were a cool guy! Anyway, I don't have one of those books. Izo or Haruta always wrote in those and they're Pops', so I didn't take it. Oh, I should probably start my own though, huh?" Luffy asked himself, Zoro and Usopp facepalming while the chefs around him sweatdropped.

"My logbook, huh? Indeed I have it with me." Zeff said, ignoring Luffy. The ex-pirates words made Kriegs grin widen.

"One out of two isn't so bad," Krieg said with a sneer.

"But I can't give it to you." The sneer left immediately, a glare forming instead.

"The logbook is the pride of all the crewmen that I sailed with. It's too important to give it to you." Zeff declared. Beside him, Luffy nodded in agreement, adjusting his hat on his head.

"Then I'll just take it from you by force. It's true that I fell from the Grand Line. Even if that's the case, I'm still Don Krieg, the strongest man. Its merely a dark sea route. To sail across it, I had enough power, and forces... as well as ambition! The only thing that was regrettable was that I lacked the information. I just didn't know things..." Krieg determined. At his feet, Gin still looked rather distressed, not lifting his head as Krieg spoke.

"I'll take your logbook. And I'll form a large pirate fleet again and seize the One Piece. And then, I'll stand on top in this Great Pirate Era!" These words were the ones that finally set Luffy off, a frown on his face as he stepped forward, pointing a finger towards Krieg.

"Now hold on a second! I'm the one who's gonna be King of the Pirates!" He announced, many of the chefs eyes widening in surprise.

"H-Hey, back off, you trying to start a fight?!" One of them shouted.

"I can't back off from this," Luffy told him with a grin.

"Are you challenging me, kid? Former Whitebeard Pirate or not, I can't let that pass." Krieg stated, standing tall in front of Luffy.

"You don't have to. I just stated a fact." Luffy told him matter-of-factly.

"This isn't a game." Krieg continued with a scowl.

"Of course not. I'll conquer Paradise myself, and then the New World too." Luffy told him, still unfazed.

"Its no joke, you brat! It's true that we didn't have information, but a fleet with 5000 men was wiped out in just seven days! That's a devilish sea! Don't underestimate it, kid! Without Whitebeard helping, you'll no doubt succumb to its terrors as well!" Krieg shouted in rage, Gin still shaking in terror.

"S-Seven days?!" Patty exclaimed.

"Kriegs pirate ships were wiped out in just seven days?!" A nearby chef asked in astonishment.

"What on Earth happened?!" Another asked.

"Unfortunately, I don't find those kinds of jokes funny. If you're not going to let it drop, then how about I just crush you here..." Krieg asked, his determination rising.

"Go ahead, if you can..." Luffy said with a grin, readying his fist.

"Fine by me. As you wish, I'll send you to the netherworld." With that said, Kriegs shoulder plates smoked and rose, showing off the guns inside once more. He didn't fire them though, looking around the restaurant carefully instead. Behind Luffy, Zoro pulled his sword out a bit.

"Gonna fight, Luffy? Need a hand?" Zoro asked with a grin, ready to fight if necessary.

"I-if you don't need help, though, th-that's fine too..." Usopp said with shaking legs, barely able to stand beside Zoro. Everyone, including Krieg looked over at the two.

"Don't worry, you guys can just watch from there," Luffy said with a smile. Zoro looked only mildly disappointed as he put his sword away, but overall Luffy could still feel his excitement.

"Y-yeah? T-too bad, but if you say so, what can we do... B-but if push comes to shove, we'll help you. S-s-so, g-g-good luck!" Usopp boasted, attempting to look brave, yet the shaking of his legs and the stutter in his voice threw that image off. Kicking out his foot, Zoro tripped Usopp, knocking him to the ground.

"What was that for Zoro?!" He asked, confused as to why the swordsman had done that.

"Shut up! Just keep quiet!" Zoro answered with a shake of his head. Krieg, who had been watching the scene silently, suddenly barked out a laugh.

"Are they your crewmembers? That's quite a small group you got!" Luffy frowned at that, annoyed by the mans assumptions.

"What're you saying?! I've got two more!" Luffy shouted.

"Oi! You counted me, didn't you?!" Sanji called indignantly from the ground behind Luffy. Kriegs amusement left and he hid his guns back under his shoulder plates, frowning to them all.

"I'll deal with you all later. I'll go feed my underlings. Those who don't want to die can abandon the restaurant and escape. All I'm after are the logbook and this ship." He announced, picking up the large sack of food and holding it over his shoulder.

"But if you still wish to be uselessly killed... it's a bother, but I'll bury you at sea. Know that." He told them, and with that, he left the Baratie, heading back to his own destroyed ship.

"I'm sorry Sanji-san... I never imagined this would happen..." Gin cried, having been left behind by Krieg.

"That's not something you should apologize for, underling," Zeff spoke up, surprising the chefs and Gin himself.

"Each cook at this restaurant acted as they felt was right. That's all." Zeff explained, Luffy feeling that he had no ill will towards Gin.

"Owner! Why are you acting as if you're taking Sanjis side?!" Patty yelled, dumbfounded.

"That's right! He's responsible for this whole thing!"

"He's going to put your precious restaurant out of business!"

"Shut up, you idiots!" Zeff yelled loudly, stopping anymore arguing from the chefs who watched the owner with wide eyes.

"Have you felt what it's like to be on the brink of starvation?!" Zeff asked. Luffy frowned at that, knowing all too well that feeling.

"Losing food and water on this grand ocean... Do you know how scary it is?! Do you know how hard it is?!" Zeff continued, the chefs not knowing what to say.

"What?! What do you mean, owner?" Patty asked.

"The difference between Sanji and you all is, whether you know it or not." Zeff finished, the chefs still not understanding. Luffy had a feeling that he understood it though, looking over at Sanji who had pulled out a cigarette to smoke while Zeff had been talking.

"Hmm? What does he mean?"

"What's he saying that Sanji knows?"

"If you have time to grumble, leave the restaurant from the back door already!" Zeff said, stopping their muttering. The chefs all glanced at each other, not sure if they wanted to do so or not.

"I'll stay and fight. I couldn't bare it if I was just beaten and didn't fight back!"

"I'll stay too! This is the restaurant where I work!"

"We don't have anywhere else to go anyway!" All the chefs around them seemed to share this sentiment, all of them standing tall and holding their large cutlery in hand, preparing for the fight to come. Gin, who had yet to leave, watched in stunned silence, but finally had enough, slamming his hands on the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?! You saw how powerful Don is, right?!" He asked, reminding everyone of the many weapons the man had on him.

"Hey, Gin!" Sanji called, finally standing and walking closer to Gin, a hand in his pocket and the other holding his cigarette.

"Let me tell you something. Feeding someone who's hungry is my morality. But... those we'll be dealing with are plunderers with full bellies. I won't let you complain even when I beat up your fellow pirates. If someone's going to take over this restaurant, even if it's you, I'll kill them without hesitation! Got that?" Sanji asked with a scary expression. The blondes conviction was strong and Luffy could only smile as he listened. Sanji, Zeff, and the chefs were all ready to lay down their lives for this restaurant, and that was something that he could respect.

"Ha! Letting him live and now killing him? You're hopeless, Sanji..." Patty said humorously.

"Shut up, you damn cook!" Sanji said through gritted teeth, his cigarette back in his mouth.

"You see? He's kinda cool, isn't he?" Luffy asked Zoro and Usopp with a smile, pointing to Sanji.

"Who cares about him! We'd better get out of here now!" Usopp shrieked in terror.

"Calm down! Even if its Krieg, he's a wreck with injuries." Zoro told Usopp, obviously not worried. At Zoros words, Luffy turned to look back at Gin, remembering something.

"Gin! You said you didn't know anything about the Grand Line. Even though you've been there?" Luffy asked, confused over that. How could he have been there, but come back and not know anything? With a gulp, Gin looked back to the ground.

"It's still true that I don't know. What happened on the seventh day after we entered the Grand Line... I don't know if it was a dream or reality... I still haven't been able to come to terms with it..." He started, sweat falling down his face and his eyes wide.

"I still just can't believe... that the 50-ship fleet... was wiped out by only one man..." At Gins words, everyone, even Zoro, gave shouts of surprise. Even Luffy, who had been to both the Grand Line and the New World, was surprised by that information. Whoever had taken on the Krieg pirates had to have been strong, like Whitebeard.

"What?!" Everyone shouted at once.

"It happened suddenly. As soon as this man appeared, he sank the ships one after another. If we hadn't been lucky enough to have that storm then, our main ship would've been destroyed as well... I don't know how many ships we have left... It was just so dreadful that I don't want to accept it as reality... I don't want to remember..." Gin admitted, shaking at the memories. Luffy could empathize with that, knowing he'd give anything to not have to think about the facility all the time.

"That man... his sharp hawk-like eyes whose glare alone gives one the chill of death!" Gin exclaimed, his fear palpable to everyone, even if they didn't have Luffys ability to feel emotions.

"Wha-?!" Zoros exclamation of surprise caught both Usopp and Luffys attention, the straw-hatted teen noticing that Zoros emotions had spiked. His calmness was gone in a flash, replaced with shock, eagerness, recognition, excitement.

"What did he just say?!" Zoro asked softly, Luffy barely hearing it.

"That... must be Hawk-Eye." Zeff realized his arms crossed as he spoke to Gin.

"That you felt his eyes were like a hawk's isn't proof in of itself, but what this man did is enough proof that it's him..." Zeff explained, and this only made Zoros emotions stronger.

"Hawk-Eye!" Zoro said, a little louder now, his eyes still blown open, a single drop of sweat falling down the side of his face.

"You know him, Zoro?" Luffy asked, only a little worried by the mans reaction. He wasn't having any bad feelings, but the way he was reacting was slightly concerning. At Luffys words, Zoro seemed to snap out of it, closing his eyes and calming down.

"Yeah... He's the man I'm looking for. I went out to sea to meet him." He explained, Luffy remembering him telling him about that.

"I see..." Luffy murmured quietly.

"Isn't it possible that that man had some deep grudge towards you guys?" Sanji asked, wondering why someone would go through the trouble of taking down 50 ships at once without reason.

"We never did anything to him!" Gin said defensively, denying that claim.

"Maybe you guys disturbed his nap or something..." Zeff suggested, irritating Gin.

"Don't be ridiculous! I'll be damned if he crushed our fleet for such a reason!" Gin yelled loudly in anger. Zeff only smiled, chuckling.

"Don't get so worked up. It's just an example. I'm just giving an example of what kind of place the Grand Line is." The owner told him. Usopp was becoming increasingly worried as the conversation went on, wondering if he wanted to go there or not after all this.

"What the heck kind of place is that?" He whispered to Luffy and Zoro.

"It probably means that anything can happen," Zoro said plainly, Usopp crying at his words.

"Hey, Luffy! Let's not go to the Grand Line after all!" Usopp cried, but Luffy was only smiling widely, his classic D smile back on his face.

"Shishishi~! The Grand Line is so much fun!" Luffy laughed out loudly, remembering all of the adventures he'd had there in the past.

"I think you need to get the concept of 'danger' into your thick skull!" Usopp cried again.

"But my goal is now completely narrowed down to the Grand Line," Zoro said with his own grin, moving to rest against a table.

"What?" Usopp asked, turning his tearful face to Zoro.

"That man... I can see that man if I go there..." The swordsman said in determination. Sanji, who had been listening the whole time, finally spoke up.

"Are you guys stupid or what? Guys like you die before anyone else." He said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to call us, 'stupid.' When I decided to become the strongest swordsman, I decided to devote my life to it. Since it was my decision, the only one who can call me stupid is me." Zoro said, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Ah! Me too, me too!" Luffy said, waving his hand in the air.

"Me too! that's just natural as a man of the sea!" Usopp said just as confidently as the other, though Luffy felt the lie.

"In your case, that's a lie," Zoro said, picking up on it as well.

"What nonsense..." Sanji muttered, looking away from them.

"Hey! Do you idiots understand the current situation?! The ship moored in front of the restaurant is the huge galleon that belongs to Don Krieg, Commodore of the 'Pirate Fleet!' If you wanna escape reality, do it after surviving the life-or-death crisis!" Patty admonished, pointing his giant fork their way.

Luffy was about to respond to the chefs words, but a sudden cut of emotions outside caught his attention instead. Someone had just died, and he knew for a fact that it hadn't been from starvation.

He wasn't able to think much on that either when a loud cry sounded, footsteps pounding their way.

"Here they come! We can hear their war cry!"

"We'll protect the ship to the end!"

"It's our restaurant!" The chefs yelled in determination, clenching their weapons tighter in their hands.

"Out of the way, cooks!" The pirates outside yelled. They never had a chance to even board the Baratie when their ship was suddenly split into two, everyones eyes widening, stupefied.

"What the?!" Luffy yelled in a mixture of awe and surprise. Even Zeffs eyes had widened.

With how large Don Kriegs ship had been, with it being cut in half, it created a large wave that made the Baratie begin swaying dangerously, tables and chairs sliding across the floor. Everyone tried steadying themselves, but it was difficult with how much the floor was moving underneath them.

"Raise the anchor! Or we'll be swallowed along with the ship!" Zeff ordered, one of the chefs running off to do just that.

"This is bad! Nami, Yosaku, and Johnny are still on our ship out there!" Zoro called out, both he and Luffy running for the doors.

"Damnit! It might be too late!" Usopp yelled, quickly following after them. When they reached the outside they were just in time to see the Kriegs' ship slowly begin sinking into the water.

"Aniki! Aniki!" Hearing the familiar voices, Luffy ran over to the railing, feeling the panic and fear clearly.

"Yosaku! Johnny!" Luffy called, Zoro and Usopp running after him.

"Are you alright?" Zoro asked as he leaned over to look at them, the two swimming in the water, no ship in sight.

"Where's the ship?! It's gone! What happened to Nami?!" Usopp asked, trying to find any glimpse of the Merry, worried it might have been caught up in all the waves.

"That... I'm sorry, Aniki. She's gone." Yosaku cried.

"Big sis Nami..." Johnny cried next.

"She took all the treasure and ran off!" Yosaku finished.

"What'd you say?!" Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp all asked simultaneously. Without them noticing, Zeff walked out as well, the waves slowly calming and making it easier to stand on the Baratie.

"That man..." Zeff exclaimed softly, eyes wide as he looked off at the sea. Hearing this, Zoro looked over to the owner, and then to the ocean, his own eyes just as wide as he scanned the waters. Among the wreckage of the destroyed ship, Zoro spotted a small boat drifting their way.

"Is it possible... that's... Hawk-Eye!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just when things were looking good, I lost all of the editing I did on this chapter. Thankfully, I didn't lose the chapter and just some grammatical fixes and spelling issues, but that means that I might have missed them the second time through. With that said, if you see any mistakes, let me know!
> 
> So, Krieg is here, Hawk-Eye is here, and Nami is, well, not here. I decided to have her run off after all after a bit of debate. While I could have had Luffy talk to her about her troubling emotions, I also took into account that, in this story, Nami is- rightfully so- wary of Luffy and untrusting of his abilities. They make her uncomfortable, which he recognizes, and as a result he's tried to avoid mentioning them around her unless it's necessary to mention or she outright asks about them like she did in this chapter. Because of that, he never found out about Arlong and she ran off with the Merry to return to Cocoyashi.
> 
> Now all that's left is for Luffy to beat up Krieg and for the crew to go after their navigator! While I'm still annoyed at losing an hours worth of work editing this chapter, I'm still super excited for whats to come and I'm not gonna let this bring my mood down! Your kudos, bookmarks, and comments all help me tremendously in bringing my mood up as well, so thank you all once more for the continuous support that you give me and my stories.
> 
> Stay safe everyone! I'll see you all in two weeks with the next chapter!


	13. Swords and Fire

"What'd you just say?!" Usopp asked angrily.

"Nami ran off with the Going Merry?!" Luffy asked, stunned.

"What do you mean by that?!" Zoro demanded, all three of them shoving their heads down in Johnny and Yosakus faces. The two bounty hunters were laying on the Baraties outer deck after Luffy had pulled them out of the water, still crying.

"It happened just a moment ago!" Yoskau cried, explaining how Nami had been looking at a certain wanted poster at first before tricking the two and pushing them into the water. They explained how she'd told them she never officially agreed to join, just that she had been in an alliance of sorts with them.

"She said to tell you guys that if you're linked by fate, you'll meet again! After that she just left! So that's how we lost the ship!" Johnny cried, he and Yosaku kneeling and bowing their heads.

"We're sorry!" Yosaku apologized.

"Damn it! She's making this crisis worse for us!" Zoro cursed, punching the side of the Baratie.

"Kaya gave that ship to us!" Usopp growled out, equally as angry as Zoro. Luffy, who could feel all the rising anger, tried ignoring it, instead standing on the railing and peering out at the ocean.

"Wait! I can still see it! It's the Going Merry!" Luffy called, everyone turning to look and spotting the ship off in the distance.

"Where's your ship?" Luffy asked Johnny and Yosaku. He had known something was up with Nami, but he hadn't asked her about it because she'd been scared of his powers, and now she had taken the Merry. He wasn't angry at her for it; after all, she was right in that she hadn't agreed to join officially, and that was something he knew, so really, she had every right to leave. Taking the Merry was a bit much, but Luffy wasn't angry about that either. Something had scared Nami, made the hatred in her flare, and it wasn't Luffy or the others. It had something to do with why she left, why she needed all that money.

"We still have it here..." Yosaku said, his crying stopping.

"Zoro! Usopp! Leave right away! Take that ship and follow Nami!" Luffy ordered. Zoro turned, waving a hand in the air.

"Forget about it. Just give that ship to her. No need going after that woman." Zoro said flippantly, obviously not as invested in her as Luffy was.

"I won't accept anyone but her as our navigator!" Luffy said sternly. There was a moment of silence as Luffy and Zoro both stared at each other, and eventually, Zoro sighed, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Alright, alright... What a high-maintenance Captain... Hey, Usopp, let's go!" Zoro said to Usopp who nodded, determined to get the Merry back. Johnny and Yosaku went with the two, getting their ship and getting it ready.

"Zoro-Aniki, the ship is ready!" They called over to him from the boat. Before Zoro and Usopp got on it, the swordsman looked over his shoulder at Luffy.

"Luffy, what about you?" He asked, wondering what he was going to do.

"I can't go yet. All these chefs really like this restaurant, I'm not gonna let this Greed guy take it from 'em." Luffy said, jutting a thumb towards to the chefs all standing at the front of the Baratie.

"Be careful. The situation here isn't normal." Zoro told him seriously, but Luffy only grinned.

"I've handled worse." He said honestly. Zoro stared at him another second before nodding.

"Don Krieg! It's him! Its the man who destroyed our fleet!" The yelling of one of Krieg's pirates had everyone turning to see what they were talking about. It was then that everyone remembered the tiny boat drifting closer to the Baratie.

"Th.. That man!" Zoro exclaimed softly, swallowing.

"So that man is..." He trailed off. The pirates continued panicking at the sight of the small boat, but Luffy ignored them, staring at Zoros back.

"Zoro?" He asked, but didn't get a response. That mixture of emotions from earlier was back in the swordsman, the excitement, the determination, the eagerness, and this time, awe.

"Who's that?" Luffy prodded again, wanting to know why Zoro was getting so worked up.

"The man I've been looking for. Hawk-Eye Mihawk!" Zoro informed him, his eyes never leaving the man in question.

"Hawk-Eye Mihawk..." Luffy repeated, committing the name to memory. Apparently, this person was important to Zoro, so he'd make sure to remember him.

"The world's strongest swordsman..." Zoro said quietly. The chefs were talking amongst themselves, realizing that Mihawk had been the one to destroy Krieg's ships. Zoro wasn't listening to them though, instead, a grin was forming on his face as he put a hand onto the sheaths of his swords.

"You son of a bitch! What grudge do you have to come after us?!" One of Kriegs men asked in a mixture of rage and fear. Mihawk tilted his head towards the man slightly, observing him.

"Just killing time," Mihawk answered in a smooth, even tone. Luffy could feel that he wasn't lying.

"What?! Don't mock us!" The pirate yelled, standing and pulling two guns out that he aimed at Mihawk. Without standing, or even looking, Mihawk pulled his giant sword off his back, and when the pirate fired the guns, Luffy watched as Mihawk used his swords to deflect them safely away from himself.

"I thought for sure I aimed right at him!" The pirate yelled, his fear rising, not having been skilled enough to notice the deflected bullets, instead thinking he'd missed.

"He averted them," Zoro said, suddenly behind said pirate, scaring them more.

"He changed the course of the bullets using the point of his sword," Zoro explained, eyes still trained on Mihawk who was now only a few feet away from him.

"That can't be true..." The pirate whispered in disbelief. Zoro only grinned, walking closer to Mihawk.

"Hey! Who are you?!" The pirate yelled after Zoro but didn't get an answer.

"Those swords... could it be?!" Another pirate asked as Zoro walked by. Luffy watched both Zoro and Mihawk carefully, knowing he couldn't stop his swordsman from whatever it was he was going to do. He'd promised not to get in Zoros way when it came to his ambition, and if that ambition was tied to this Mihawk person, then Luffy wasn't going to interfere, even if Nami was getting further away the more they waited.

"I've never seen a sword move so gently..." Zoro told Mihawk. Both swordsmen were looking at each other now, though Mihawk had yet to move from his seat on his boat.

"There is no strength in swordplay based only on force," Mihawk answered.

"Did you use that sword to slice up this ship as well?" Zoro asked, still grinning widely as he gestured to the destroyed ship he was standing on.

"That's right."

"I see... You're the strongest... I came out to sea to meet you." Everyone was watching silently in amazement as the two talked with each other. Zoro was pulling off the bandana on his arm and wrapped it around his head, eyes filling with eagerness.

"What's your goal?" Mihawk asked him in curiosity.

"To become the strongest!" At those words, Mihawks hard expression finally changed, a smirk taking form on his face.

"Hmph... How foolish." He told Zoro. The green-haired man didn't react to the words, still grinning as he pulled out one of his swords, pointing it at Mihawk.

"You've got spare time, right? Let's fight!" He demanded.

Luffy frowned from where he was watching, knowing that this was going to be a losing fight. It wasn't that he thought that Zoro was weak, it was just that Mihawk was stronger. Much stronger. This fight would go as well as Usopp trying to fight Whitebeard would.

And yet, he didn't do anything to stop it. He had to constantly remind himself of his promise to Zoro, to not interfere with his ambition. It was difficult, and he was barely holding himself back from doing just that, but he managed.

"Th-This guy is Zoro! Roronoa Zoro of the Three Sword style!" A nearby pirate cried out, everyone looking at him in shock.

"What?!"

"Oh, a pirate hunter, huh?" Krieg asked, standing on the other half of the split ship.

"He is?!" Sanji asked in surprise, not having recognized him. How was he supposed to know that the famous pirate hunter would be traveling with another, even more famous, pirate?

"Hey, this isn't good, Luffy! The Going Merry will be out of sight soon! Oi, Luffy!" Usopp called to Luffy, quickly realizing that his Captain was completely focused on Zoro.

"Fight? Hmph! How pitiful, weak one..." Mihawk muttered, and within a flash, he was standing on the same broken deck as Zoro.

"If you are a competent enough swordsman, you should be able to see the disparity in our abilities even before we cross swords. Is it your courage or ignorance that causes you to turn your sword on me?" Mihawk asked him, head held high as he addressed Zoro. Again, Zoro didn't seem to be fazed by the man's words, still grinning widely.

"It's my ambition!" He declared, placing one of his swords in his mouth and holding the other two.

"And its also because of a promise I made to a dear friend!" He finished, staring Mihawk down.

"Hawk-Eye Mihawk, the world's strongest swordsman and the pirate hunter Zoro... What kind of fight will it be?" Patty asked, sweating nervously from where he watched with the other chefs.

"There can't possibly be anyone who can defeat Zoro-Aniki!" Yosaku exclaimed.

"Zoro-Aniki is the strongest already!" Johnny added. Luffy said nothing to them about that, only glancing at them out of the corner of his eye before focusing back on Zoro and Mihawk, the latter of the two pulling a tiny knife off the cross on his necklace.

"Hey, what's the meaning of that?" Zoro demanded, taking offense that Mihawk was pulling what looked to be a toy out.

"I'm no beast that goes all out when hunting a rabbit. Even if you're a swordsman who's earned a bit of a name for himself, this sea, the East Blue, is the weakest among the four seas. Unfortunately, I don't carry any smaller sharp instruments than this one." Mihawk said, actually looking, and sounding, sad about that.

"That's enough making fun of me! Better not regret it when I kill you!" Zoro yelled through his sword before charging forward towards Mihawk.

"Frog in the well... Know how big the world is." Mihawk told him, only moving into a lower stance.

"Oni... Giri!" Zoro used all three of his swords in the attack but realized rather quickly that they had stopped. Looking, he saw that Mihawk was using the point of his tiny knife to stop all three of the swords in place.

"Wh-What?!" Zoro exclaimed in astonishment.

"Wha... Zoro-Aniki Oni Giri was stopped!" Johnny shouted, dumbfounded.

"Even a big technique that never fails to blow any enemy away was... What's going on?!" Yosaku shouted, just as dumbfounded as Johnny. Luffys frown deepened and he had to take another deep breath, something he'd been doing a lot lately.

There was a silence across the entire area as everyone watched with bated breaths, no one daring to even so much as breath too loud in fear that something would break. Finally, Zoro was the one to move, pulling his swords away from the tiny knife and swinging them up.

"The world's strongest cant be this far!" He yelled, still determined, yet Luffy could feel as his swordsman slowly began to realize just what he was up against.

Zoro rapidly swung sword after sword at Mihawk, but no matter how fast he moved, Mihawk effectively blocked each and every attack effortlessly, not even breaking a sweat. After letting Zoro try for a minute, Mihawk swung his own tiny sword, sending Zoro falling back onto the deck.

"This can't be happening, right, Aniki?! Get serious!"

"Aniki!" Yosaku and Johnny all but pleaded.

"We can't be this far apart!" Zoro yelled as he got back up, charging once more towards Mihawk. He began swinging much like he had last time, and again, Mihawk blocked every attack. With how fast Zoro was pushing himself, he was managing to push Mihawk back towards the railing of the still sinking ship, but the greatest swordsman merely jumped onto the railing and over Zoro, causing Zoro to slash the railing rather than the man he'd intended on hitting. Spinning, the attacks began anew, and it seemed Zoro wasn't making any headway.

"What ferocity your swordplay has..." Mihawk noted, clearly not worried about this fight. With a yell, Zoro swung the sword in his mouth, and yet again, Mihawk blocked it with his own knife.

"He's taking Zoros Three Sword Style attacks with such a small knife..."

"He's a monster even beyond the monstrous Zoro!" As the pirates began yelling to each other in stunned awe, Zoro continued trying to attack Mihawk, tried to get even one hit on the man, but it was all for naught. At one point, he slipped up, his sword falling just to the right of Mihawk and causing him to fall forward at the unbalance of it. Seeing this, Mihawk chopped Zoro on the back of his neck with his hand, making Zoro gasp, struggling to keep the sword in his mouth steady. He was quick to ready himself again, but he was growing tired, having done all the attacking so far. Because of this, he only managed to stumble a few steps forward before falling onto his back, Mihawk staring down at him.

"What do you bear on your shoulders? What do you desire once you've obtained power, weak one?" Mihawk asked him, not moving to attack him.

"You called Aniki a weak one? You cross bastard!" Yosaku shouted, pulling his own sword out.

"I'll teach you a lesson! He is-" Johnny, who had also pulled his sword out, joined Yosaku, the two jumping off their boat and towards Zoro and Mihawk, only to be stopped by Luffys arms stretching out and grabbing them, pulling them back to the small dock on the Baratie.

"Stop it! Yosaku! Johnny! Don't intervene! Be patient!" Luffy demanded as he struggled to do the same himself, visibly straining as he held himself back.

"Luffy..." Usopp whispered, seeing this.

"I can't lose..." Zoro muttered as he stood back up. He immediately got a new attack ready, crossing the two swords in his hands with the one in his mouth.

"Tiger... Trap!" He announced, but as fast as he attacked, Mihawk had managed to pierce Zoro in the chest with his knife. Zoros hands fell to his sides, still holding his swords, and he didn't move.

"Are you just going to let me pierce your heart? Why aren't you withdrawing?" Mihawk asked, not moving his knife.

"I don't know why, but... if I withdrew even a step, I feel like those various important things such as pledges and promises in the past will be shattered and I won't be able to come back to where I am now..." Zoro mused, blood falling from the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, that is what defeat is about," Mihawk told him with a frown, still as unmoving as Zoro was.

"Then, all the more reason I cant withdraw..." Zoro replied. Luffy was fighting back his body's need to help his friend yet not being able to do anything. He wanted to scream at Zoro, yell at him to just move and let the fight end, but he knew that that would be insulting, that, should the situation be reversed and Luffy was staring down the One Piece, he would hate if someone yelled at him that he couldn't go and take it right there, even if he died because of it.

"Even if you'll die?" Mihawk asked.

"I'd rather die." Zoro said firmly, full of conviction. Luffy, through his haze of intense emotions, felt something in Mihawk change, the man suddenly more interested then he'd been this entire time as he finally pulled his knife out of Zoros chest, sheathing it.

"Kid! State your name." He demanded. Zoro readied one last attack and Luffy could barely watch this anymore, but forced himself to continue, having grabbed onto the railing by now as he leaned forward.

"Roronoa Zoro." Zoro answered.

"I'll remember it. I haven't seen anyone like you in a while, strong one. Thus... as a swordsman's courtesy, I'll sink you using the world's strongest black sword." Mihawk declared, pulling the large sword off his back and pointing it at Zoro.

"I appreciate it," Zoro said, meaning his words.

"H-he took it out!"

"That's the sword that sliced up the ship!" The pirates called out.

"Aniki! That's enough! Please stop!" Johnny pleaded, Yosaku holding his head in fear, trembling as he couldn't even watch anymore. Usopps jaw was dropped at the size of the sword, and he was watching in a similar state as Johnny, scared that this was where Zoro would actually die.

"Three Sword Style Secret Technique!" Zoro began spinning the two swords in his hands at the same time that Mihawk ran forward.

"Fall!"

"Three Thousand Worlds!" The attacks hit simultaneously, and yet, Zoro was the only one hurt. His two swords in his hands shattered and a large slash was cut into his chest as he fell to his knee. He took his last sword out of his mouth and sheathed it, Mihawk watching from over his shoulder. Zoro stood, holding the sheath in his hand, and turned to face Mihawk, stretching his arms out at his sides.

"What are you..." At Mihawks obvious surprise, Zoro grinned.

"Scars on the back are a swordsmans shame..." Zoro told him.

"Well said!" Mihawk said, grinning back and readying his sword one last time. Swiping his sword diagonally, he cut Zoros chest once again, and this time, it was for the last time.

"Zoro!" Luffy finally yelled out, watching the devastating blow with wide eyes.

"Zoro!" Usopp cried in equal distress, tears in his eyes.

"Aniki!" Johnny and Yosaku cried, both having tears pouring down their faces. There was a sudden spike of anger and annoyance from Sanji, but with all of Luffys own fear and worry, it had no effect on him.

"It should be easy... to give up your ambition, right?!" Sanji yelled out to the swordsman. He'd been silent the entire time he'd watched the fight, but after watching Zoro fail so miserably, he couldn't help but yell.

"So this is the power of the Grand Line... the power of the world!"

"To think the pirate hunter Zoro is as helpless as a new-born baby!" The Krieg pirates were shaking in fear of Mihawk after watching him take on Zoro without so much as being out of breath.

"Damn you, damn you... Damn you!" Luffy, who had started the sentence muttering, ended up yelling at the end, shaking with a sudden burning rage after he had watched Zoro fall backward into the water, his emotions muffling as he fell unconscious.

"Aniki!" Luffy only barely had taken notice to Johnny and Yosaku diving in after Zoro as he took his hat off, dropping it on the deck before he swung his arm back, flinging it forward and grabbing a railing behind Mihawk.

"Wh-whats that?" A chef yelled, not having seen Luffy stretch before. Everyone's jaws dropped as they watched Luffy fling himself at Mihawk, all of them realizing at once that he did in fact have a devil fruit.

"So that brat really does have a devil fruit!" Krieg exclaimed with a scowl.

"You bastard!" Luffy yelled at Mihawk, landing in front of him. The man had his arms crossed, his sword back in its sheath on his back and looking unfazed about what was happening.

"Are you that swordsmans comrade?" He asked as Luffy stood tall, the anger clear on his face.

"You also impressed me for watching it to the very end!" He complimented, Luffy feeling his words as true.

"Don't worry. I didn't kill that man. Although, I do admit that I'm a bit curious as to what a Whitebeard Pirate is doing here in the weakest sea." Mihawk said, but Luffy didn't have time to answer as he felt Zoros emotions become clearer, telling him he was waking up.

"Aniki! Aniki! Say something!" Johnny and Yosaku pleaded, holding Zoro up in the water.

"Zoro?!" Luffy asked with wide eyes, watching as his swordsman coughed up blood. Johnny and Yosaku swam with Zoro back to the ship where Usopp helped pull him onboard, resting him on the floor.

"This is medicine! Throw it over him!" Usopp called, having run off to grab a basket of first aid supplies.

"It's still too early for you to die. My name is Dracule Mihawk! Learn about yourself! Learn about the world! And become strong! No matter how many years it takes, I will hold this seat of the strongest and wait for you. Surpass this sword! Try to surpass me! Roronoa Zoro!" Mihawk declared loudly.

"Kid, what is your goal?" Mihawk asked Luffy, eyeing him.

"King of the Pirates." Luffy answered without hesitation.

"Oh? What about your Captain?" Mihawk asked.

"I'm not with Pops anymore. I left and started my own crew." Luffy answered again. Mihawk smiled at that.

"In that case, it'll be even harder than surpassing me!" He told Luffy. Without change in expression, Luffy answered.

"How would I know when I haven't done it yet?!" He asked, sticking his tongue out at Mihawk.

"He's alive!" A shout from Usopp had Luffy turning back to the ship Zoro was on. He already knew Zoro was alive, but that didn't mean he wasn't concerned still.

"Aniki, say something!" Johnny pleaded again. Suddenly, Zoro was holding his sword in his hand, raising it into the air for Luffy to see clearly. Even through all the pain Luffy could feel coming from Zoro, he could feel the humbling humility in him as well, the swordsman having realized how much he had overestimated his own strength.

"L... Luffy... Can you hear me?" Zoro asked, his voice soft and difficult to hear from so far away, yet Luffy heard it all the same.

"Yeah!" He called back. After a few shaky breaths, Zoro spoke again.

"Did I worry you? You need no less than the worlds greatest swordsman, right?" Zoro asked, struggling to get that much out.

"Aniki! Please don't talk anymore!" Yosaku cried as Zoro coughed up more blood.

"I... I will not be defeated ever again!" Zoro cried out with tears. There was frustration in Zoro, but also a new determination, a new conviction.

"Until the day I defeat him and become a master swordsman... I'll never... be defeated! Got any problems with that... King of the Pirates?!" Zoro asked. Grinning his D grin, Luffy laughed in both relief and happiness.

"None!" He called back.

"You're a good team. I want to see you guys again." Mihawk said, turning to go back to his boat.

"Oi, Hawk-Eye!" Krieg suddenly called, jumping over to their side of the boat.

"Didn't you come to take my life... the life of the East Blues ruler, Don Krieg?" Krieg asked, confident in himself.

"I was going to, but I had enough fun. So I'm going home to get some rest." Mihawk told him, all previous amusement gone from him as he addressed Krieg. He didn't even look over his shoulder to do so.

"You may have had enough, but I'm tired of getting beaten," Krieg said with a grin, cracking his neck in preparation.

"D-Don?"

"Why are you trying to keep him here?" Kriegs crew asked in concern. Krieg didn't answer though, and instead pulled out his guns again, the two on his shoulder, the two at his sides, and the two in his hands, all pointed at Mihawk.

"Die before you leave!" Without another seconds hesitation, he began firing all of them at once. Too fast for anyone but Luffy to see, Mihawk took his sword back out and cut the deck in half again, causing a large wave to block everyone's vision. Realizing his footing was disappearing, Luffy flung his arms back over to the Baratie, grabbing on and pulling himself back before he could fall into the ocean.

"Damn, he escaped again!" Krieg said once the water settled down, leaving him staring at an empty space where Mihawk had been seconds ago.

"Usopp!" Luffy called over to the sniper.

"Luffy!" Usopp called back, poking his head over the boats railing, having hidden when he saw all of Kriegs guns again.

"Go! I'll leave Nami to you!" He yelled over to him with a grin.

"Got it! Zoro and I will bring Nami back for sure! Make sure you get that cook to join us! When all five of us are reunited, let's go to... the Grand Line!" Usopp yelled, and despite how scared of the place he'd been before, Luffy could feel his excitement as he yelled the words. At the same time, Usopp had picked up Luffys hat, which he'd been holding onto to keep safe, and threw it towards Luffy. Grabbing it out of the air, Luffy brought it over to himself, placing it onto his head.

"Yeah! Let's do that!" Luffy said with a smile.

"Guys! We ran into some interference, but the real fight starts now!"

"We'll take that ship!"

"Yeah!" The Krieg pirates yelled.

"Hey, old man, I'm gonna beat up all those guys, is that alright?" Luffy asked Zeff, his smile still blindingly big. Now that he didn't have to worry about Zoro anymore and they were on their way to Nami, Luffy was able to focus entirely on Krieg and his goons. He knew they wouldn't be much of a challenge, and he was excited that he could let out his pent up energy from holding himself back earlier.

"You think we need your help? If you wanna get involved, suit yourself." Zeff said with a shrug, although he was grinning himself.

"Yahoo! They want to fight, too!" Luffy cheered, hanging upside down off the railing and holding his hat as he looked over at the Kriegs.

"I'm getting fired up!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly, pulling himself back up onto the railing, sitting on it and facing the chefs.

"All of you guys like this restaurant, right? I'll make sure to drive them away so that they don't hurt it, okay?" Luffy asked them, all of them blinking at him in surprise.

"Y-you're gonna help us... because we like this restaurant?" One of them asked, not understanding why the famous 11097 would be helping for something as minuscule as that.

"Well, yeah! And it's the old mans treasure, right?" Luffy asked, looking to Zeff now, remembering what Sanji had said before.

"And so what if that's the case? Why would that make you more inclined to help us?" Zeff asked, though unlike the other chefs, Luffy could tell he was only a little curious as to Luffys reasoning's. Overall, he seemed to be assessing Luffy, and the straw-hatted teen didn't mind in the slightest.

"Because I like you guys! Oh, and you make good food! Shishishi~!" Luffy laughed to himself.

"You said you were going to be King of the Pirates. Are you serious?" Zeff questioned further. Hearing this, Luffys face went blank and he blinked owlishly.

"Yeah, of course! I'll definitely be King of the Pirates!" He answered easily, no doubt in his words as he said them. Zeff grinned at that, arms still crossed over his chest as he stepped forward closer to Luffy.

"I've come across tons of roughnecks, but you're the first one in a long time who said that so clearly," Zeff admitted, making Luffy smile again.

"I heard that you were a pretty strong pirate. Were you going to be King of the Pirates?" Luffy asked in curiosity.

"I forgot about the past. I'm the owner of a restaurant now and that's enough for me." He answered with a small shrug, looking to the sea. Luffy gave him a smaller smile now, feeling the owners pride in his occupation.

"Guys! As long as we take that ship, the Grand Line is nothing to be scared of! We can get closer and make a surprise attack on enemy ships more effectively than pretending to be a Marine ship or raising the white flag of surrender. We can make a definite sneak attack." Krieg told his crew as he pointed over to the Baratie.

"It's true that no one would think that pirates are onboard such a silly looking ship."

"B-But Don... Even if we enter the Grand Line again using that ship, if we come across someone like Hawk-Eye Mihawk again..." The pirates' words angered Krieg and he pulled out one of his guns, shooting the one who was speaking point-blank. Luffy frowned as he felt the pirates emotions disappear, signaling his death as he fell into the ocean.

"Are you still afraid of someone like that? Huh?!" Krieg asked in a growl, pointing his gun at the rest of his crew, all of them pale and sweating in fear.

"N-no..."

"You think an ordinary human can slice up a large sailing ship?! That's probably the power of a devil fruit." Krieg said, explaining to his crew what they were and how it was likely Mihawk had one himself, which is how he'd managed to destroy their ship.

"Even that Straw Hatted brat 11097 doesn't stand a chance now that he's abandoned the Yonko Whitebeards crew!" Krieg shouted. This seemed to calm his crew down, all of them steeling themselves and pulling out their weapons, turning to look back to the Baratie where Luffy was still sitting on the railing and smiling widely their way.

"But that Red Leg Zeff successfully traversed the Grand Line for a year. Those methods must be written in his logbook. If we're lucky, so is information on the One Piece." Krieg finished, successfully having riled his crew back up.

"I see... That's our Don Krieg!"

"So long as we have that ship and the logbook, we'll find a way to the One Piece again!"

"Got that guys?! Let's go! We'll take over the restaurant!"

"Yeah!" With a roar of agreement, the pirates raised their weapons into the air. Luffys excitement grew as felt the pirates courage and determination grow, telling him that the fight was getting ready to begin.

"This ship belongs to us... to the cooks! We can't let them have it no matter what happens!" Patty declared as he and another chef ran over to the figurehead, the other chefs watching them go knowingly.

"As it stands, the restaurant will be a battlefield..." Sanji pointed out, and Luffy could feel something from Sanji that confused him. He turned, tilting his head carefully as his eyes narrowed on the blonde, wondering why those words seemed to make Sanji feel scared. He wasn't scared of the pirates or the incoming fight, but scared of something else, like he was remembering something. It was like when Ace or Sabo remembered the facility and would get scared from the memories.

"Go to the operating room and open up the fins," Sanji told a nearby chef who blinked in surprise.

"What? Open up the fins? That's gonna give a foothold to the enemy!" He said, confused as to why Sanji would want that. The blonde smiled, waving a hand dismissively.

"That's fine. We can't make the inside of this restaurant a battlefield. If it becomes a battlefield, that damn geezer will complain." Sanji said, muttering the last bit. Zeff, who was standing beside Sanji, eyed him out of the corner of his eye.

"Did you say something, you damn brat?" He asked.

"Yeah, I said you like to complain! Now, go." Sanji said, speaking to the chef again at the end.

"O... Okay..." It was obvious the man was still conflicted, but he agreed to do it regardless, running off.

"Here they come! They're finally coming!" Luffy cheered enthusiastically, pulling himself onto the Baratie and holding the railing in his hands.

"Here I come! Gum Gum..." Running backward into the restaurant, Luffy let his arms stretch until he was up against the spiral staircase in the middle of the room.

"Rocket!" He called out, letting his body snap back towards his arms, flinging him over the railing and right towards the incoming pirates.

"Ack! He's flying over here!" They shouted in fear, all of them stopping in their tracks and holding their hands out defensively.

"And Gum Gum..." Spinning his body to get a better angle, Luffy stretched out his arms again, this time at his sides.

"Giant Scythe!" He called, clothes-lining the pirates. All of them flew backward from Luffys momentum, some falling into the water while others landed on the small bits of deck still visible. To keep himself from falling in the water as well, Luffy stretched out his arms, grabbing onto a mast that was still above water and pulled himself over to it, sitting on it.

"Hey, 11097's pretty good! It's a good thing he's on our side!" A chef said, the others cheering at seeing the Kriegs being taken down.

"J-Just what the heck is this guy..." A Krieg pirate asked as he clung to a floating piece of driftwood.

"The Grand Line is crawling with guys like this?" Sanji muttered, his one visible eye a little wider than normal.

"Sanji!" Zeff said gruffly, getting the chefs attention.

"Hmm?" Sanji hummed.

"Watch carefully how he fights. Don't take your eyes off him until the moment this fight comes to an end." Zeff said in a no-nonsense tone of voice, only confusing Sanji even more.

"To think that you attack the restaurant after they gave you food... I'll beat up an ungrateful jerk like you!" Luffy yelled at Krieg as he clung to the mast. Krieg, who was standing on a small section of broken deck, laughed.

"So you actually want to fight on the water when there's little foothold? Those with devil fruit powers are helpless in the sea. I know that much. Anchor boy!" Krieg called back arrogantly, obviously thinking he had the upper hand. Luffy smiled at that, unfazed by the words.

"Instead, I can stretch," Luffy told him. The fight didn't progress any further though as they saw the waves beginning to act up again, the cause seeming to be the Baratie.

"What's going on?" Luffy questioned as he and Krieg turned to look at what was happening.

Woah! Check that out!" Luffy cried in awe, watching as two large semi-circle decks appeared around the Baratie, giving them the much-needed foothold that they needed.

"We'll fight to the utmost, you damn pirates!" Sanji called over to them, his stance casual despite the threat in his words as he walked forward onto the new deck.

"I see. You set up that battlefield so that the restaurant itself won't be damaged. That works out for us too, since that ships gonna be ours. I want this ship all the more." Krieg said greedily.

"We won't let you have this restaurant!"

"That's right! Don't make light of us!"

"We're fighting cooks!" As the chefs were shouting, something else happened, the fish head at the front of the ship detaching itself and moving towards them.

"What is that?!" One of the Kriegs asked in disbelief.

"That's so cool! I want it!" Luffy called out in awe again, liking this ship all the more now. As the head of the fish turned towards the Kriegs, they saw that in its mouth were three cannons, all pointing right at them.

"Fire!" Patty yelled, and before having a chance to react, that's exactly what they did, the cannonballs causing waves to form again. The pirates in the water struggled to stay above it and the destroyed ship that had been the Kriegs rocked violently as well. This included the mast that Luffy was still clinging to.

"I'm gonna sink!" Luffy said with wide eyes, holding on tighter to the moving mast.

"Alright! Good job!"

"Patty! Carne! Get them!" With the chefs shouting encouragements, Patty and Carne continued firing round after round of cannonballs at them, Luffy smiling widely despite the dangers he was facing with his moving mast.

"They're pretty good!" He complimented, hearing Patty laughing loudly from the fish head.

"Krieg! Be prepared!" Patty yelled, the fish now moving right towards the piece of deck that Krieg had been standing on.

"Watch how powerful the Sea Restaurant Baratie's sea battle weapon is!" Carne called next, and when they finally deemed themselves close enough, they fired the cannons again, right at the unmoving Krieg. When the dust cleared, Krieg was still standing, the canon only inches from his face as he held onto it with his outstretched hand.

"What? Did we bump into something?" Patty asked.

"Hmm? We can't move!" Carne yelled in realization.

"I'm Don Krieg! I'm the man who will rule the worlds oceans!" Krieg roared out in rage.

"Eh? I told you that's gonna be me!" Luffy yelled, more than a bit miffed that Krieg was still saying that.

"I don't have time for your games!" Krieg continued, ignoring Luffy completely as he began lifting the giant fish out of the water.

"What Herculean strength he has!" Patty cried out in fear. All of the chefs watched with wide eyes as Krieg lifted the fish above his head, tossing it behind him and towards the Baratie.

"It's coming this way!"

"The restaurant will be destroyed!" They shouted in terror, watching as the fish quickly headed their way. Luffy was about to intervene, because he had already told the Owner he wouldn't let the restaurant be destroyed, but he stopped himself when he felt Sanjis emotions. The man was confident and determined, and when Luffy looked over at him, he was lowering into a stance like he was about to jump.

And jump he did. He pushed himself up into the air, and just as the fish began its downward arc towards the Baratie, Sanji met it in the air and kicked it, pushing it back away from the restaurant and towards the other half of the extended deck where no one was standing.

"Sanji!" The chefs cheered, happy they weren't going to be crushed by the fish now.

"W-With his foot?!" Krieg yelled in disbelief. Even Luffy was awed by the mans strength.

"He kicked back that weird boat!"

"What strong legs!" The Krieg pirates muttered to themselves.

"That foot technique is..." Krieg began quietly.

"There goes! Sanjis kicks!" A chef yelled with a smile.

"He's pretty good!" Luffy said to himself.

"You son of a bitch, Sanji!"

"Are you trying to crush your allies?!" Patty and Carne yelled as they jumped out of the fish boat, the two of them furious.

"Yeah..." Sanji answered, not even looking at them.

"Don't, ' _Yeah_ ' us, you crazy stew!" Patty and Carne yelled simultaneously.

"You almost lost your most powerful assets, you stupid spaghetti!" Carne shouted as he pointed accusingly at Sanji, Patty mouth dropped in rage.

"Do you really think you have time to crack jokes, cooks?" It was then that everyone realized the pirates that had been in the water had swum over to the Baratie and were now climbing onto the enlarged deck. Seeing this, the chefs took a defensive position, raising their weapons threateningly.

"Let's get 'em!" One shouted, running forward with a few others. It seemed they were outmatched though as the pirates fought back, snapping or slicing the chefs weapons apart and sending them flying back towards the restaurant.

"Even with a weapon, a cooks a cook. We're expert fighters whore in a whole other league from you. Now be good little cooks and go find a land restaurant to cook for." One of the pirates said, his sword hanging over his shoulder as he spoke.

"Hey, you guys! Why are you letting those guys beat you up so easily?!" Carne asked in a mixture of surprise at the pirates strength and fear of being next.

"Do you still call yourselves fighting cooks?!" Patty yelled next in a similar state as Carne.

"Well, they're strong! They're totally different from those we've fought before!" One of the chefs said in their defense, wiping his mouth as he sat up.

"Don't lump us in with those average pirates. We're the Krieg Pirates, the rulers of the East Blue." The same pirate said.

"Just decree to them... that the ship already belongs to the Krieg Pirates!" Krieg ordered.

"Don't be mistaken. We won't let you take even one step into the restaurant." Sanji said with a grin, not intimidated by the pirates' strength.

"He's exactly right!" Patty yelled, he and Carne reminiscing about how they'd come to work at the restaurant, Luffy listening closely as he took in their feelings of protectiveness towards the restaurant, their love for the place. At Patty and Carnes words, Zeff said some of his own, and with that, the chefs were all riled up and ready to fight again.

"Protect the Owner!"

"Protect the restaurant!" Patty and Carne yelled as they ran forward, weapons raised, and despite their lingering fear, they still went to fight. Luffy beamed in pride at that, deciding quickly that they were among those he would make sure survived this whole ordeal.

Where the other chefs had difficulty, Patty and Carne proved to be more of a challenge, knocking over some of the pirates and successfully blocking attacks. Even though they were doing fairly well, that was stopped when someone else swam over, lifting a hand and flinging something at Patty, knocking him back.

"Hmm. Just what are you guys doing?" The newcomer asked as he climbed onto the deck as well, Luffys smile turning to a frown.

"What's with that guy?" He asked himself, not having seen him before. He was dressed strangely, a large circle, metal shield on the front and back of him and four smaller shields strapped to his arms, two on each arm, two on his hands and two on his elbows. He also had two more small shields strapped on his knees as well. In the middle of the shields were pearls, and on his head was a large pearl as well.

"Unassailable! Hence invincible! When someone says 'Pearl-san, the Invincible Shield of the Krieg Pirates,' they mean me!" He called out smugly.

"Pearl-san!" One of the Kriegs cheered.

"Patty! Carne! Are you alright?!" Zeff asked the two chefs who had been attacked by the man.

"They're not alright, because they took my killer punch 'Pearl Surprise,'" Pearl boasted, blood dripping from his wrist shield.

"Woah! This is a nice knife. I'll take it." One of the pirates said as they moved towards Patty, greed filling him at the sight of the large knife.

"Hmm? Hey, let go. Give it to me! Let it go, you damn loser!" He said, realizing quickly that Patty still had a firm hold on it despite looking unconscious. When a shadow covered him, the pirate looked up, seeing a furious looking Sanji there. He didn't even have time to blink before a leg sprung forward and kicked him in the face, sending him flying into the other pirates, all of them than flying into Pearl who didn't move from the force. The knife flew from Pattys grasp, but Sanji caught it by the handle before it hit the ground.

"He's really got some good kicks! I didn't come to like him for nothing!" Luffy praised as he continued watching, more determined than ever to make Sanji his chef.

"A kitchen knife is a cooks soul. Don't you amateurs carelessly put hands on it!" Sanji yelled to the pirates.

"Sanji..." Patty grumbled out, peeking an eye open.

"Hold this tight and stay down there. I'll take care of them." Sanji ordered, handing the knife over to Patty who took it, doing as told and not moving from the ground.

"We won't be beaten by a mere cook!" The pirates cried as they charged forward again, weapons in the air. Sanji placed his hands on the floor and began spinning his legs around, knocking down each of the incoming pirates with ease.

"A mere cook, you said? I'm gonna cut you in three, you bastards!" He growled out, glaring menacingly.

"Ha! How impudent you are to beat them using only kicks. Is that your policy?" Pearl asked, not having moved this entire time.

"To cooks, hands are most important. I can't have them hurt in battle. I'll take you down with this leg as well." Sanji said, hands in his pockets again as he kicked his left foot out towards Pearl.

"Take me down? That's impossible. I'm an invincible man that won all 61 of my battles unharmed. I've never shed blood in a battle, not even a drop. Winning unharmed is the very proof of my power. I'm a shield man and a gentleman. I'm refined, aren't I?" Pearl asked with a smug smirk, hitting the two shields in his hands together.

"Was that supposed to be a gag? It wasn't funny at all." Luffy said in confusion, not understanding Pearls words at all. A sudden murderous intent from behind him made him refocus his attention on Krieg who was spinning something in the air.

"Hey, Straw Hat brat! If you're not paying attention, you'll get hurt!" Krieg yelled, sending the spinning thing- a spiked ball on a chain- towards Luffy. With his haki, Luffy felt that the ball and chain weren't aimed towards him, rather it was aimed for the mast he was still clinging to. At this realization, Luffy held on tighter as Krieg split the mast in half and then flung the ball and chain towards the section Luffy was holding, sending both Luffy and the mast flying towards the Baratie. Seeing this, Luffy allowed himself to fly, and when he landed he patted himself off, standing in front of Sanji.

"That was rude, I _was_ paying attention! Anyways, it's a good thing I didn't fall into the sea." Luffy said cheerfully. Feeling that someone was in a state of shock, Luffy looked up, wondering what had happened, and was faced with Pearl who had a bloody nose. It was then he realized that he and the mast had hit Pearl and that was what had stopped him from hitting Sanji and the Baratie.

"What?" Pearl asked, voice barely loud enough for Luffy and Sanji to hear as he touched his hand to the blood.

"Ahh... This isn't good." Krieg muttered almost angrily.

"Blood! Oh no!" A pirate screeched.

"Pearl-san, don't worry!"

"It's just a nosebleed!"

"It's not a wound from fighting!"

"Please calm down Pearl-san!" With all the pirates yelling in visible fear, the chefs could only watch in confusion, not understanding what the big deal was.

"Th-th-th-these guys are dangerous!" Pearl cried, tears in his eyes and looking devastated.

"What's with him? He's acting strange." Sanji noted, expression bored as he observed Pearl.

"He's in shock over his nosebleed. Don't know why though." Luffy answered, picking his own nose, also bored. So far, these guys were boring and rude, and he just wanted to get a move on and fight Krieg already. That wasn't possible at the moment though seeing as Pearl was now yelling loudly and banging his two hand shields together again.

"Stop it, Pearl! It's just a nosebleed! Don't lose your cool!" Krieg yelled, but it fell on deaf ears as Pearl continued yelling.

"What the heck is he about to do?" Sanji asked.

"Danger! Danger! Danger!" As Pearl yelled, he was suddenly engulfed in a bright light.

"Oh no! It's started!"

"When Pearl-san gets upset, he catches fire!" The pirates yelled.

"That's all?" Luffy asked with a pout. Ace caught fire all the time, so to see Pearl do it was nothing special. Why was everyone so worked up over it?

"Fire Pearls... Special Treat!" Pearl shouted, holding flaming pearls inbetween his fingers that he threw towards Sanji and Luffy. The two easily dodged the flaming projectiles, however, the other Krieg Pirates weren't as lucky, many of them on fire and screaming.

"Pearl-san! Please stop!" One pleaded, his hair on fire. Bits of the deck had caught fire as well, but everyone was more focused on either stopping the fire on themselves, or avoiding being caught on fire.

"Burn! Within this flame and the flame shield, you have no idea how invincible I am!" Pearl screamed.

"That idiot! Is he going to burn down the ship that we're gonna take over?" Krieg asked from where he was watching.

"Damnit..." Sanji muttered, watching as a wall of flames blocked anyone from running to the water.

"Crap! There's no escape from a sea of flames in the middle of the sea!"

"This isn't good! The restaurant will catch fire!" Pirates who were still in the water called out. Hearing that, Sanjis glare hardened.

"This restaurant will burn?" He growled out, Luffy feeling the chef's anger rise.

"Burn! Burn!" Pearl continued chanting, arms raised in the air as he stood amongst the flames.

"You son of a bitch!" Sanji screamed, jumping towards Pearl despite the fire.

"You idiot! You'll get burned, Sanji!" Patty yelled he and Carne back up now after having been moved to safety by other chefs.

"I'm not just gonna let you... burn this restaurant down!" Sanji yelled as he jumped over the wall of flames, spinning in the air and kicking out his leg towards Pearl, which the man blocked with his hand shield.

"H-He's so reckless!"

"Does he want to turn into a human torch?!" The pirates who weren't on fire shouted.

"When even fierce animals would stay away from Fire Pearls!" Pearl exclaimed in the same shock as the pirates.

"You fool! I'd be unfit for a cook if I was afraid of flames!" Sanji said with a grin, holding his cigarette out towards Pearl.

"D-Dammit! What a refined guy he is!" Pearl screamed.

"Here I come!" Sanji called, pushing forward onto his hands and flipping his legs over to Pearl, hitting him square on the large shield on his chest and knocking him onto his back.

"Ahh! That hit him good!"

"He broke through invincible Pearl-sans wall!" Outside of the ring of fire that Sanji and Pearl were in, the Kriegs were still on fire, trying to put themselves out but proving unsuccessful.

"What's with this cook? He's really crazy. Y-y-you son of a bitch! Fire! I need more fire! I need to feed more Fire Pearls!" Pearl cried, now bleeding from both nostrils as he threw more flaming pearls into the air.

"Ahh! The restaurant will catch fire!"

"If the fire gets into the kitchen, the restaurant will be blown away!" The chefs were yelling as they watched the flaming pearls arc in the air, falling right for the Baratie. Zeff, who had been standing in the doorway of the Baratie this entire time, didn't move, watching with crossed arms as the fiery pearls came right for him.

"Owner! Please, get out of there! Owner!" One of the chefs pleaded, but Zeff didn't listen. Instead, he lifted his peg leg, swinging it in the air above the pearls so fast it created a gust of wind that extinguished the pearls, sending them falling harmlessly to the ground.

"Woah!" Everyone watching exclaimed in awe.

"M-my Fire Pearls..." Pearl cried, tears in his eyes again, and face red from being hit.

"Something like that is child's play!" Zeff barked, unfazed.

"The gust from the kick put the flames out!" A chef yelled in awe.

"What the hell?! That's definitely a divine technique!"

"So Red Leg Zeff is still strong?!" The Kriegs, who had finally managed to put out the fire on themselves, yelled.

"The old man is really cool! I'm impressed!" Luffy said with a smile, having stayed out of the way for the most part.

"Now that it's come to this, I'll sink you all with the fins before the restaurant catches fire!" Krieg yelled, swinging his ball and chain again, launching it towards the fin they were standing on.

"Sanji! Watch out!" One of the chefs cried as they all saw the giant spiked ball heading right for the blonde.

"Oh no! He's surrounded by fire!" Another chef realized. Luffy could feel Sanjis shock and fear and quickly realized the chef was unable to get himself out of harm's way. Realizing this, Luffy was quick to jump through the wall of flames, holding his hat tight to his head as he did.

"Ow, ow, ow..." He muttered from the brief burn he felt, but he had felt worse before so this was nothing. Standing beside Sanji now, Luffy braced himself.

"11097!" The chefs yelled in astonishment.

"Gum Gum... Bazooka!" Luffy called, jumping in the air and throwing his hands back. His hands flew forward just in time to meet the spiked ball, pushing it away from Sanji and back towards Krieg.

"Ow, ow, ow..." Luffy muttered again, realizing the back of his red vest was now on fire.

"He hit that iron ball back!" Sanji said quietly, stunned, completely ignoring the fiery predicament Luffy was in. The spiked ball that Luffy had knocked back had hit the mast Krieg had split in two, and the second half began falling towards Pearl, Luffy, and Sanji. Seeing this, Sanji and Luffy ran quickly out of the way, but Pearl, who had his back to the falling mast, didn't move, not realizing the predicament he was in. Because of this, the mast came falling down right on top of his head, sending him falling to the ground.

"Pearl-san is really down this time!"

"Pearl-san is..." The pirates were in a state of disbelief as they looked at Pearl, leaning against the mast that had just hit him.

"What the heck?" Sanji asked, thoroughly confused by the strange man.

"That guy sure is dumb." Luffy pointed out.

"Geez... They're all... In the end, I can only count on myself..." Krieg muttered in annoyance. Luffy felt a sudden fierceness from behind him and Sanji, and turned just in time to see Gin kick Zeff to the ground.

"The battle ends here." Gin announced, placing his foot on Zeffs back to keep him down and pointing a gun to the owner's head.

"That's right! Shoot Red Leg Zeff!"

"All we need to do is kill him. Then the restaurant will be ours!" The pirates cheered, encouraging Gin to shoot the man. Luffy watched with a blank expression, taking in all of the emotions around him but trying to focus solely on Gin.

He liked the pirate, even if right now he was his enemy. Gin was a good guy, and even though he was pointing a gun at Zeff, someone Luffy also liked, Luffy wasn't angry at him. He could feel Gins loyalty to Krieg, could feel his determination, as well as the turmoil. He knew that, even though he was holding a gun to Zeffs head, the man didn't actually want to hurt Zeff, but he felt obligated too.

Not for the first time, Luffy contemplated knocking out all the pirates with his Kings Haki so he could fight Krieg already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: The next chapter- Chapter 14- will be uploaded on September 10th! If you'd like to know the reasoning for this, keep reading. If not, totally understand and I hope to see you all then!
> 
> Now, these past two weeks have been... hectic to say the least. The new college semester is starting up for me soon, and with this virus still being so prominent I've decided to postpone the next chapter until September. I want to be able to focus on getting used to college in a pandemic before I come back to focusing on this story as well. That's not to say I'm going away forever- not at all! I'm still loving writing this story and I've got so much that I want to add and change to the canon which you'll all start seeing very very soon! I just need to focus on real life for a minute before coming back to this.
> 
> So, mark your calender's everyone! September 10th, I'll be back with the chapter 14 and we'll start chugging along once more! Thank you all for your understanding and support. Without all of you, I would have lost motivation a long time ago when it came to writing.
> 
> With that, I'll see you in September!


	14. The Downfall of Don Krieg

"No matter how incredible he was in the past, he's now a mere cook. It's easy to blow his brains out. You want to save this man, right, Sanji-san? Please, leave the ship without a fight. I don't want to kill you." Gin told Sanji, looking to the blonde as he held the gun to Zeff's head. Luffy frowned, because despite Gin's calm, confident exterior, Luffy could feel that the man was desperate in his attempts to get Sanji to leave- could feel the pirates desire to not harm Sanji.

"Leave the ship? No way!" Sanji said as he lit a new cigarette and put it in his mouth. Gin's eyes widened at the exclamation, obviously not having expected that response.

"Man, do you look stupid, you damn geezer. If you're like that, you can't set a good example for the fighting cooks." Sanji said nonchalantly, obviously not worried about the gun pointed at the owner.

"Hmph! I don't need a lecture from a little brat." Zeff replied, equally unfazed.

"Where do you get off calling me, 'little brat', you damn bastard?! Quit treating me like a kid already!" Sanji yelled out in anger, his previous calm demeanor gone now.

"Damn that Sanji..."

"He's not gonna forsake the Owner, is he?" The chefs murmured amongst themselves from where they watched with wide, worried eyes.

"Gin! Point that gun at me." Back was the calm as Sanji straightened, looking up to Gin rather than the owner as he spoke. Feeling his conviction, Luffys eyes widened in disbelief.

"Are you stupid? You'll die!" Luffy told him with wide eyes, wondering what Sanji hoped to gain out of this new plan of his.

"Maybe..." Sanji said with a small shrug.

"Sanji-san... why?!" Gin asked in disbelief, still holding the gun firmly towards Zeff's head.

"If you want to die so bad, I'll kill you in a refined way... Don't move if you don't want your Owner's head blown off." Pearl, who was now beginning to stand up again from behind Sanji and Luffy, spoke with a menacing glare. The murderous intent coming from the man was strong and Luffy knew that he had no hesitation in hurting Sanji like Gin had.

"The Absolutely Natural Pearl... Surprise!" Without moving an inch, Sanji stood still as Pearl swung his shield down into Sanjis face, knocking the chef back towards the railing.

"Sanji! Why aren't you dodging?!" Luffy asked in worry after watching the man go flying. He liked Sanji- he wanted him to be his chef- so to see him doing nothing to defend himself both confused and worried Luffy.

"If I did, that damn underling would pull the trigger," Sanji explained as he sat up, head hanging as he spoke. Realizing the blonde's reasoning, the tension in Luffy slackened, accepting the answer with a small grin of pride. Even though Luffy knew that Gin wouldn't hurt Zeff, Sanji didn't know that so it made sense now as to why the cook hadn't defended himself.

"Why? If you leave this restaurant, everyone's life will be saved. Its a no-brainer isn't it?!" Gin asked with wide eyes, still trying to understand Sanjis motives.

"This restaurant is that damn geezer's treasure!" Sanji all but growled as he looked up enough to glare at Gin, blood falling from the corner of his mouth.

"I took everything away from that damn geezer... His power... His dream... So... I don't want that damn geezer to lose anything else!" Sanji exclaimed as he stood back up.

"Sanji! Watch out!" Patty shouted, everyone noticing at once that Pearl was right behind the blonde again, arms outstretched in preparation for another attack.

"Pearl... Cymbals!" Pearl shouted, swinging both of his hand shields and smashing them on either side of Sanjis head. Blood spurted out as the blonde screamed out from getting hit by the attack, and when Pearl removed his hands, Sanji fell forward back onto the deck. There was a moment of silence as they all watched him fall, and a sudden wave of strong emotions from the chef surprised Luffy.

Despair, desperation, determination, and even anger and frustration, Sanji was being filled with one strong emotion after another. He lay unmoving for a second, but eventually his hand clenched into a fist and he spoke, face still on the deck.

"That damn geezer gave up his leg so that I could live." Sanji started, the chef's eyes bugging out at that new revelation, and based on their feelings and reactions, Luffy could tell they hadn't known that before.

"I... I can't repay the damn geezer for his kindness unless I risk my life for him too!" Struggling to stand up, Sanji screamed out the words with a strong conviction. Luffy was watching, standing beside Pearl with a blank face, taking in as much information as he could.

"Why do you get up... Sanji-san?" Gin asked, his surprise turning to shock.

"In order for this place to be a restaurant as long as possible..." He answered with a grin.

"That idiot... Is he trying to get killed?" Patty asked angrily, Luffy feeling that the anger stemmed from the man's worry.

Speaking of, Luffy could feel his own anger starting to rise again.

"You damn brat!" Zeff grumbled to Sanji.

"Ha! That's such a refined line! But this restaurant will be closed now and it will change into a pirate ship!" At Pearl's words, Luffy finally had enough, and in a split second he was stretching his leg high up into the air, surprising everyone once again.

"Stop it, you idiot! Keep your hands off of them!" Sanji shouted at Luffy, and like with Patty, despite the anger he showed on his face, Luffy could feel the worry welling inside of him.

"What's he trying to do?!" A chef asked in a mixture of worry and fear as they all watched Luffys foot fly so high into the air, they couldn't even see it anymore.

"Gum Gum... Battle Axe!" Luffy shouted, a look of rage on his face as he sent his foot flying back towards the ground. Without a hint of hesitation, Luffy let is foot smash the entire deck that they were standing on into pieces, a tower of water forming as a result and raining water down on everyone as they watched with dropped jaws.

"The fins been smashed!" Someone yelled in realization. The fin that had provided plenty of room for everyone to stand on was now splintered into multiple sections, some smaller than others. With a grin and his eyes shadowed by his hat, Luffy stood up straighter.

"Is he trying to destroy the ship?! Gin! Blow Zeff's brain out!" Krieg ordered angrily. At the order, Gin stiffened, not immediately moving to follow through with it, and once again, that unwillingness to cause both the owner and Sanji harm was back.

"Do it now!" Krieg demanded once he saw this.

"B-But he saved our lives by giving us 100 meals!" Obviously, this was not what Krieg wanted to hear, and his anger only worsened as a result.

"Gin, you son of a bitch!" Krieg roared.

"Hey." Luffy suddenly said, voice void of any emotion he was currently feeling.

"I didn't really attack you guys or anything... I only broke the fin." Luffy stated with a small frown as he turned to look over his shoulder at Krieg who was practically exploding with rage.

"Oi, 11097! What do you think you're doing?!" Sanji asked in a rage of his own. The blonde was standing up on the uneven rocky deck and glaring towards Luffy, despite knowing Luffy was a much stronger opponent.

"I'll sink it," Luffy said simply, face still void of emotion.

"What?!" Sanji asked almost breathlessly, his one visible eye widening at the words.

"I'll sink this ship." Everyone stared at Luffy in disbelief, chef and pirate alike.

"That ain't funny!" One of the Kriegs yelled. Sanji, meanwhile, had marched over to Luffy, having been on the same section of deck as him.

"I was wondering how you'd explain that... Are you crazy, you damn bastard?!" Sanji asked as he grabbed Luffy by the front of his vest, pulling him up slightly off the ground.

"If I destroy the ship, there'll be no reason for them to attack," Luffy told him, still unfazed by the roughness of Sanji pulling on his vest.

"What?!" Gin asked, still managing to have held the gun to Zeff this entire time.

"What do you know? What do you know about the significance of kindness I received?! What do you know about this restaurant?!" Sanji demanded as he got closer to Luffys face, not caring if Luffy was stronger then him or not.

"So you're gonna die for the restaurant? Are you stupid or something?" Luffy asked now, some irritation finally showing on his face as he asked the question.

"What'd you say?!" In one swift movement, Luffy slapped Sanjis hand off his vest and reached out, grabbing Sanji by the front of his suit now and pulling him close like the chef had done to him only seconds ago.

"Dying isn't something you should do to repay kindness! That's not what he saved you for! Being given life and yet dying... is something that a weakling would do!" Luffy yelled, irritation turning to full-blown anger as he glared at Sanji, the two practically touching foreheads with how close they were.

Luffy couldn't help but think of Whitebeard as he said his words, of Shanks and Garp, all of them having looked for Ace, Sabo, and Luffy when they were trapped in the facility. He knew for a fact that he would never disrespect them by dying after all the trouble they went through to save him, to free him from that horrible place. To die after all of that, would be like spitting in their faces.

"Then is there any other way to settle this matter?!" Sanji asked with a defiant glare. From the water, the chefs were watching in worry, wondering if Luffy was actually going to hurt Sanji.

"Now now, you guys... Stop fighting. It's simply disgraceful for you to fight among yourselves after all this. You can't do any more reckless things while the hostage is with us anyway." Pearl said with a smug look on his face, both Sanji and Luffy pausing in their yelling to look at the man.

"It was unfortunate for you guys to have the Krieg Pirates as your opponent." Pearl continued with a laugh as he lowered into another position.

"Burn to death with my Fire Pearls!" He shouted as he began running forward, fists on fire as he ran their way, still laughing. Luffy and Sanji didn't move, the former preparing to finish the annoying man right then and there, but his haki picked up on someone moving their way fast. He quickly pushed Sanji back to keep the blonde from getting run over and then jumped backward himself.

It was just in time too, because Gin was running right through where they'd been standing, his weapons in hand as he charged towards Pearl.

"Huh?" Pearl didn't even have time to defend himself as Gin attacked the man's chest shield with his tonfas, effectively breaking it apart with a single blow.

"Gin!" Sanji said, surprised to see the man fighting his own crewmate.

"Why... Gin-san?" Pearl asked, equally, if not more, surprised as he began falling forward.

"Sorry, Pearl. Out of my way..." With a crash, Pearl fell onto the deck, but Gin didn't look at him, instead facing forward with a frown.

"Gin! Are you going to betray us?!" Krieg asked furiously.

"I'm sorry, Don Krieg. He saved our lives. I don't want him to die this way. At least... At least... please let me bury him with my own hands." Gin asked as he turned, resting one of his tonfa on his shoulder as he looked to Sanji.

"Have you lost your mind, Pirate Fleet Chief Battle Commander?" Krieg asked, though some of his anger left him at the man's words.

"Are you alright owner?"

"Owner! Please hang in there!" Patty and Carne said worriedly as they helped Zeff sit up, having swum over to him once Gin had left.

"Chief Battle Commander?" Sanji asked once he saw Zeff was safe.

"Then he wasn't an underling?" Patty asked in worry and fear.

"To think that he cracked that shield guys shield... How powerful..." Carne murmured as he observed the tonfas that Gin wielded, two metal balls on the ends of them.

"See? It worked great... my plan to lure him out..." Luffy boasted, as if that had been his plan from the beginning, smiling as he looked at Gin.

"Liar! You were really going to break the ship, weren't you?!" Sanji yelled over at Luffy, having half the mind to go strangle him.

"Sanji-san!" Gin shouted.

"What?!" Sanji barked back, still frustrated.

"I wanted you to leave this ship unhurt, but it looks like that's not gonna happen." Gin said. He hadn't moved yet, so Sanji and Luffy weren't either, the two watching the Krieg pirate as he spoke.

"You got that right." The blonde answered.

"I can't let you have this restaurant even if it means risking my life." He explained.

"Then, at least burying you with my own hands is my way of settling this matter." Gin said.

"Hmph! Thanks. To hell with you!" Sanji said as he lit yet another cigarette. With breaking decks and water, Sanji had gone through more cigarettes than he normally did.

"You too, 11097." Gin said, now looking to Luffy who wasn't worried in the slightest.

"Well... I won't lose against a weakling like you." Luffy stated, knowing he was much stronger than Gin. Gin, along with the Krieg Pirates, all blanched at the words and Luffys complete lack of worry.

"You bastard!"

"What did you just say to our Chief Commander?!"

"'To hell with you'? 'Weaklings'? How dare you run your mouth like that!"

"We're the Krieg Pirates, the strongest pirates in the East Blue!" Luffy gave the yelling pirates a confused look, tilting his head slightly.

"Wasn't it just because you had the biggest number of pirates?" He asked. This only made the pirates even angrier.

"Oh, boy... You struck at the heart of the matter..." Sanji muttered as he blew out smoke, holding his cigarette between his fingers.

"So I was right..." Luffy said. He had only just learned about the Krieg Pirates today, so he was glad he seemed to have understood so far.

"You son of a bitch!"

"I'm gonna kill you!"

"Stop mocking us!" At once, a swarm of pirates swam out of the water and pulled themselves onto the deck Luffy, Sanji and Gin were standing on, weapons raised as they got ready to attack. Luffy smirked, equally excited to fight them because honestly, holding back was beginning to annoy him.

"Back off!" Luffy nearly groaned in annoyance at Krieg's words.

"Don Krieg!"

"But..."

"If you get upset when called weak, that just proves that you _are_ weak. The result will decide if you're strong or weak. You've got me. Don't get so worked up!" Krieg ordered as he sat down, looking to his men in the water.

"Y-Yes, sir!" They shouted back.

"Gin! Finishing off that cook is your responsibility. I'll take care of that naive 11097 over there..." Krieg said with a grin, and Luffy really hoped that meant he could finally get into a fight now.

"Understood, Don Krieg." Gin agreed as he looked back over to Sanji.

"Hey, brat!" Krieg shouted over to Luffy.

"I'll make you fully experience the true power that conquered the East Blue. I'll teach you that your devil fruit or whatever it is means nothing." Krieg told him menacingly, though the effect was lost on Luffy who wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

"All your griping's getting annoying... I'll kick your ass. It's as simple as that." He said with a frown that quickly turned into a smile.

"I'm coming over there now. You just wait over there!" Luffy said, beaming as he felt Krieg's irritation rise.

"What impudence..." The man muttered darkly.

"This is it for that cook."

"That's right. When Gin-san holds that weapon in his hands, it means he's serious." The pirates said amongst themselves, everyone watching as Gin began slowly spinning one of his tonfas at his side, the spinning increasing in speed until it was a blur.

"His nickname is... Demon..."

"It doesn't matter if his enemy is crying or screaming, he tortures him to death mercilessly."

"He's a demon who doesn't have a shred of sympathy..." Sanji, Luffy, and Gin all ignored the talking from the pirates floating in the sea, focused more on each other than them.

"I'm sorry Sanji-san, but you can't defeat me." Gin told the chef, his voice hard compared to the despair from before.

"Just keep saying that, you small fry." Sanji goaded. It did the trick because Gin's upper body lowered and he began running forward.

"Here I come!" He announced, tonfa spinning behind him now as he ran towards Sanji. The blonde lifted his left leg, kicking out to where Gin was running, however the man easily jumped back and out of the way, grinning as he flung his tonfa right towards where Sanji was standing. The chef managed to get out of the way, but only just barely, eyes widening as he realized how close the weapon had come to hitting his hand. Gin pulled the tonfa out of the hole he'd created in the deck, still grinning, and Sanji spun into a more balanced position, kicking out his leg again.

"You son of a..." Gin avoided this kick as well however, and before Sanji could catch himself, Gin was slamming the metal weapon across Sanjis neck, pushing him onto his back against the deck.

"Sanji!" Luffy called, turning to make sure the man was ok. Sanji was coughing, his breathing restricted as Gin held the tonfa in place, sitting cross-legged beside Sanjis head.

"I warned you... that you cant defeat me..." Gin muttered, expression shadowed as he looked to the deck. Luffy felt the despair though, the pirate not liking that he was hurting Sanji but feeling he had no other choice.

"See you... Just accept your defeat!" Gin said, looking at Sanji with a murderous grin despite his emotions. He began spinning his other tonfa behind him, still pinning Sanji to the ground with the first one.

"Yeah! Our Chief Commander is really incredible!"

"Crush him, Gin-san!" The pirates shouted, cheering Gin on with grins and raised fists.

"Sanji!"

"Sanji! Come on!" In contradiction to the pirates, the chefs were filled with worry as they cried out to Sanji with wide eyes, fear gripping their hearts as they watched what might possibly be Sanjis death. Not that Luffy would let that happen.

"Die!" Gin called out as he began swinging his tonfa down towards Sanjis head. Before it could reach him though, Sanji spit his cigarette out, right into Gin's forehead, and while the man was momentarily distracted by it, Sanji used the time to squeeze his head out from under the tonfa that'd been holding him down. The tonfa Gin had tried using to hit Sanji on the head hit the deck where Sanji had been, but now that he was gone, it merely smashed the deck. Free from restriction, Sanji spun around again, aiming yet another kick towards Gins head, and this time, he hit his mark.

Despite this, Gin retaliated by swinging his tonfa back and into Sanjis chest, knocking the chef back a few feet, the two laying on the deck in pain.

"That cook landed a blow on Gin-san..."

"Don't tell me Gin-san is gonna be defeated too..." The pirates murmured worriedly, they're eyes slowly widening at the realization that even one of their powerhouses might lose.

"You fools... What have you seen with your own eyes all this time? Gin is a cool-headed demon whom I put my trust in. That's exactly why I appointed him as the Chief Commander. He'll show his true colors soon." Krieg growled out. Back on the Baraties smashed deck, Sanji and Gin were both standing back up, Sanji gripping his abdomen and Gin gritting his teeth.

"Is Sanji really ok?" Patty asked in concern.

"Of course he isn't! Combining the attacks from that shield guy, he must have at least five to six broken ribs." Carne answered. In between the two chefs, Zeff was watching on wordlessly, expression unreadable.

"Those skewered dumplings... aren't as good... as I thought," Sanji said to Gin breathlessly with a grin, referring to the man's tonfas.

"Is that the best the Chief Commander can do?" Sanji goaded again.

"Hm? What's he doing? Is this any time to be paying attention to others? Ah-ha! Alright! I'll kick his ass now!" Luffy exclaimed, his attention back to Krieg. He was dying to fight someone already, and seeing as Krieg wasn't doing anything, now was the perfect opportunity. Running forward, Luffy jumped onto a fallen mast, running along it and straight towards Krieg who was still sitting.

"Don't overexert yourself," Krieg said with a smirk as he watched Luffy run. Before the rubber boy could reach the deck Krieg was sitting on, the man flicked something into the water.

"Huh?" Luffy asked, noticing the object make a small splash ahead of him. He didn't have time to think more about it, because the water suddenly exploded in front of him, blocking his view of Krieg. His haki told him that there was an attack aimed his way, but he knew it wouldn't hurt him, so he only stood still.

Gunfire rang out, and a single bullet aimed right at Luffys heart flew towards the teen, hitting its mark without issue. It didn't harm Luffy though, and the skin stretched far out behind him, Luffy bracing himself and flinging the bullet out harmlessly into the air. Taking off his hat and placing it safely on an empty section of deck, Luffy glared at Krieg.

"You bastard! Do you really intend to fight me?!" He yelled to the Pirate Captain. Luffy was already annoyed enough and Krieg's parlor tricks weren't doing anything to help that.

"Intend to fight you? I don't need to do such a thing. What's needed is a means to kill. That's all. And that's the force that humans have. Remember it, you damn monkey!" Krieg shouted back, his overconfidence irritating Luffy further. He knew all too well the power humans could hold over someone else's mortality, and he also knew that there was no way in hell Krieg would ever hold that kind of power over him.

"What?! If you take a monkey lightly, it'll scratch you!" Luffy mocked, hooking his fingers on either side of his mouth and stretching them out. A thump behind him and a spike in pain from Sanji turned his attention back to the chef's fight.

"Sanji!" He called, his irritation fading into worry as he saw Sanji in a heap on the ground, blood falling from his mouth into a puddle beneath him. Holding his throat, the chef started coughing, more blood coming out as a result. Gin stood behind him, holding two bloody tonfas and looking the same as he had before, only a little roughed up compared to Sanji.

"All right! His bones are shattered by now!"

"Get him!" The pirates encouraged.

"Dammit! If only I hadn't taken the damage from the shield guy..."

"He's taken at least ten hits of those iron balls by now..." The chefs said fearfully.

"You really do whatever you want... you small fry!" Despite how confident Sanji was trying to sound, Luffy noticed that the chef was realizing just how strong Gin was, worry, and fear starting to fill the blonde as he watched Gin begin spinning his tonfa again.

"I'll finish you off now! Don't struggle anymore..." Gin said, swinging his weapon at Sanji. The chef, despite his pain and injuries, was able to cartwheel out of the way, a look of annoyance on his face.

"What was that?! Pity?" He asked angrily, still standing on his hands. Before Gin could turn his way, Sanji kicked his foot down on the pirates back, knocking him onto the deck.

"Don't underestimate me!" He shouted. Even though he'd been able to do all of this, Sanji realized quickly that the adrenaline that had enabled him to do it without worrying about the pain was wearing off, and with a gasp, he fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around his middle and curling in on himself in pain.

"Sanji!" Luffy called out, not liking how much pain he could feel coming from the man, knowing that the other chefs were probably right about how bad Sanjis insides had to be.

"Ah! Sanji!"

"Oh no! He can no longer bear even the shock from his own attacks..." Patty and Carne said from where they were watching.

Gin, seeing that Sanji was down again, stood back up, gritting his teeth and frowning as he walked over to the blonde and grabbed him around the neck, pushing him against the deck again.

"You... damn... bastard..." Sanji managed to growl out in between breaths, glaring up at Gin whose eyes were shadowed.

There was a tense silence, no one moving as they all thought this was finally going to be it for Sanji, but Luffy could feel otherwise. Even though, throughout the whole fight, Gin had been pushing away his feelings of unwillingness, they were suddenly coming back full force in the man. The pirate truly didn't want to harm Sanji, and with a frown, Luffy already knew the man didn't have the conviction to kill the chef like he made it seem.

Sanji realized this as well, his eyes widening as he realized that Gin was crying above him.

"I can't... I can't Don Krieg..." Gin uttered, voice choked as tears spilled from his eyes. Behind him, Luffy felt Krieg's surprise.

"I can't... I can't do it, Don Krieg!" Gin cried out loudly, letting go of Sanjis neck and raising his head.

"I can't... kill this man..." He cried.

"What'd you say?!" Krieg roared ferociously, looking like he was about to explode in anger.

"It was... it was the first time for me... No one had treated me so kindly before... So I can't... kill this man! I know... I don't intend to betray you. I don't think what we've done up until now is wrong or anything, either... I still respect your power and I appreciate you as well. I was really happy when you put your trust in my strength and appointed me as the Chief Commander. So I've followed your orders and I will from here on as well... But... But... I can't kill... just this one person! Don Krieg... If circumstances allow... is there any way... is there any way you'd let this ship... this restaurant off the hook..." Gin asked, almost pleaded, with a hopeful smile Krieg's way. Luffy, who had been watching with a blank expression, frowned when he felt Krieg's anger peak.

"You son of a bitch! As if defying my orders wasn't enough, now you're giving me a lecture?! What's the meaning of this craziness?! How disappointing. Morality. Sympathy. I hate those kinds of things the most. Didn't I always say that?!" Krieg asked, taking off one of his shoulder plates and attaching it to his fist, aiming in towards where Gin, Luffy, and Sanji were.

"Move away, guys..." Krieg growled to the rest of his crew, the skull on the golden plate opening its mouth and revealing a hole.

"Don! That's..." Gin cried out in shock, jaw-dropping, and eyes widening as he stared down the weapon.

"M... MH5! That's the strongest poison gas weapon!" He finished, Sanji looking over the best he could seeing as he was still being pinned to the ground.

"What?!" He asked, a frown on his face as he grit his teeth.

"Poison gas?" Luffy asked with a frown of his own.

"Ah! Mask!"

"Put the mask on!"

"Hurry up!"

"We'll be killed too!"

"To use a weapon like that..."

"That's despicable you bastard!"

"Do you know what's gonna happen when you use that?!" The pirates shouted as they all hurried to pull out masks.

"Stop whining about stupid stuff, you fools! This is a battle! Winning is the only goal. Foul play? Dirty? What's wrong with that?! Might makes right. No matter what means we take, the result is everything. Using poisonous gas or whatever... winning is all that matters. That's power." Krieg said with a smirk, the pirates all holding masks to their faces as they looked to their Captain. Luffy was glaring at him, feeling the slimy greed coming from him. Krieg was one of the worst pirates, the kind without honor, and Luffy knew he would enjoy taking him down.

"What a horrible bastard..." Sanji muttered, turning the best he could onto his side. Above him, Gin pulled out his own gas mask but didn't move to put it on.

"Throw that gas mask away! You're no longer one of us. Die!" Krieg ordered, his smirk falling and turning into a hateful glare. Feeling Gins despair, Luffy began running across the mast towards Krieg again.

"I won't let you shoot poisonous gas!" He yelled because even though he would, most likely, be fine, he knew that everyone else wouldn't.

"Stop scampering about, anchor boy!" Krieg shouted, hitting the mast that Luffy was running on and pushing it down, throwing Luffy off balance long enough to ready another weapon. Without a seconds hesitation, Krieg began firing tiny spikes at Luffy, something that would definitely hurt the rubber teen should they hit him. Thanks to his haki, Luffy was able to dodge most of them with ease, but without much room on the mast, he was forced to move back toward Gin and Sanji to avoid being hit completely.

"Dammit!" He growled in anger, realizing he was back where he started.

"Gin! You don't have to listen to what that weakling says! I'm gonna kick his ass now!" Luffy told the pirate, having noticed the turmoil coming from the pirate as he struggled with the option of listening to Krieg or not.

"Don't mock Don Krieg! He's the strongest man. You can't defeat him." Gin said in defense of his (former?) Captain.

"Come to your senses, you idiot! That man is trying to kill you!" Sanji yelled, not understanding why Gin was still defending Krieg.

"I deserve it... since I couldn't fulfill my role, shamelessly losing to emotion... This is... This is a well-deserved punishment!" Gin reasoned to himself, throwing his mask away and into the water.

"Gin!" Luffy called with wide eyes.

"Why... why?" Sanji asked, struggling just to get that much out.

 _"You're wrong!"_ Luffy shouted, everyone looking at him with wide eyes due to just how much anger seeped in the teen's words. None of them had heard him that infuriated before, and looking at him now, he looked just as enraged as he sounded.

"Wha-?"

"I said you're wrong! Losing to emotion?! Deserving to die for doing what was right?! You're wrong! Krieg might be the strongest in the East Blue, but Pops, Whitebeard, he's the strongest in the world! He didn't care if we disobeyed so long as there was a good reason. If I refused to hurt someone because I thought it was right, Pops wouldn't be mad, he would be happy that I did what I thought was right!" Luffy shouted, everyone staring in awe as they listened to Luffy talk about Whitebeard.

"Enough! It's too late. Die together with that cook! Deadly poisonous Gas Bomb... M... H... 5!" Krieg yelled in irritation, everyone remembering the predicament they were in. With a loud boom, Krieg fired off the weapon, a red ball flying out and into the air.

"Into the sea!"

"Owner! Get inside the restaurant!" The chefs all scrambled while Patty and Carne dragged Zeff into the restaurant as quickly as they could, shutting the doors behind them. Realizing there wasn't much time left at all, Luffy quickly stretched his arms out towards two nearby pirates, stealing the masks off their faces.

"Sanji! Gin! Use these!" Luffy shouted as he threw them in their direction.

"11097!" They shouted with wide eyes.

"Now for mine!" Luffy said, turning back towards where the pirates had been, only to realize they weren't there anymore.

"Ah! Everyone dived into the sea!" He said, though he wasn't concerned. Ok, maybe he was a little, but that was only because he didn't know how deadly a poison had to be until it affected him. They had said this poison was pretty deadly, but they also thought Krieg was strong, so there was a possibility it wasn't as strong as they were making it sound.

Sighing, Luffy glanced over his shoulder to make sure Gin and Sanji were wearing their masks and realized Gin was still watching him with wide eyes, holding his mask in his hand rather than on his face.

"Gin, put it on!" Luffy yelled, noticing the poison gas was close to hitting the deck now.

"B-but what about-" Luffy didn't let him finish his sentence as he ran over and slammed the mask onto Gins face, ignoring the muffled protests as he held it in place. He looked up from Gin with a glare as he watched the gas bomb finally hit the deck and explode, a cloud of pink making it impossible to see anything. Luffys strong sense of smell was assaulted with the bitter smell of the poison, and for a brief moment Luffy felt his lungs burn, but other than that, he was completely unaffected.

When the mist finally dissipated, Sanji took his mask off, eyes wide as he looked at Luffy.

"Let go! Let go of the mask!" Gins muffled yells cried out as he gripped at Luffys hands.

"Oi, 11097!" Sanji asked worriedly, eyes wide as he looked over the teen. Finally, Luffy deemed it safe for Gin to take the mask off, not smelling anymore of the poison in the air.

"H-How... What?!" Gin asked with equally large eyes as he sat up, looking over Luffy.

"Are you two alright?" Luffy asked, ignoring their worry as he stood up off of Gin.

"Us?! What about you?! That was deadly gas!" Gin shouted.

"Yeah, and now I'm gonna have to call Whiskey too! Ah, but my den den was on the Merry... She won't be too happy that I'm gonna call her so late after inhaling poison..." Luffy said, talking more to himself now rather than the two concerned people staring at him.

"Why aren't you, I don't know, _dying?!"_ Sanji asked incredulously, eyes bugging out.

"Oh, poison doesn't hurt me," Luffy said nonchalantly, as if that was normal.

"Doesn't..." Sanji started, eyebrows furrowing.

"Hurt you?" Gin finished, also looking confused.

"Mm. Only really really strong poison hurts me. Ah, that NZ7 stuff kind of burned a little and it smelled, but other than that, I'm fine." Luffy told them.

"You should have let Gin die there, you little demon brat. Now I'm gonna have to resort to more bloodier methods." Krieg growled out in annoyance, still not understanding quite how Luffy hadn't been affected by his poison, but realizing that he'd have to do something else to kill him.

"Gin... it seems you picked the wrong man to follow..." Sanji said as he glared in Krieg's direction. Even after Gin had attempted throwing his own mask away, Krieg was still determined to kill the man based purely on his morality.

"So you actually decided to side with that idiot scum?" Krieg asked Sanji which caused the blonde's glare to harden.

"Scum?" The blonde growled. He may not have known Gin long, but he knew that if Gin was scum, then Krieg was the scum on scum.

"That's right. An idiot who loses sight of our goal and can't follow my orders no longer holds value to me. There's no guarantee that he won't betray me again. It's only out of love that I kill him right here and now." Krieg said with a grin as the pirates gawked in the water.

"I-I never imagined that Don would actually kill the Chief Commander..."

"C-Can't be true... There's no way he would!"

"Gin-san is his right-hand man!"

"That's right. No one has been more faithful to Don than Gin-san! That time too, when Fullbody's ship came after us right after we escaped the Grand Line..."

"Yeah... He acted as a decoy all by himself, pretending to be Don... He always risked his life fighting for Don Krieg..."

"I never imagined... that Don would actually try to kill him..." The pirates said to each other, their faith in Krieg wavering slightly at the man's display.

"Gin," Luffy said, his voice dropping from the cheery, bright tone it had been moments ago and turning into a hard, low voice that grabbed everyone's attention.

"Huh?" Gin asked, eyes still wide as he looked to Luffy, whose back was to him now.

"Don't you dare die," Luffy demanded, shocking the pirate.

"W-what? But you saw what I did! I deserve-"

"You deserve to live! I already told you that you were wrong! Greed over there is wrong too! You did what was right, and if that means you have to die, then I should be dead then too!" Luffy shouted in a no-nonsense tone that left Gin speechless.

"I've never once killed someone! No matter if I was told to or not! If not killing someone is wrong, then I should have died years ago! Don't let someone like _him_ kill you!" Luffy continued, still not looking at Gin as he spoke.

"You were apart of his crew and you were loyal, but I have to kick his ass now before he can kill you or take this restaurant. You're a good guy Gin, so you better not die!" Luffy finished, giving Gin a stern look.

"D-don't. You can't... you can't defeat him..." Gin muttered weakly, stunned by Luffys words.

"Cool down! Attacking him head-on would be playing right into his hands! You'll die!" Sanji exclaimed, grabbing Luffys wrist in an attempt to stop the teen from doing something reckless.

"I won't die," Luffy said, and the conviction in his voice made Sanjis grip loosen, eyes widening again. Luffy took that opportunity to run forward, a new fury burning in him as he honed in solely on Krieg.

"Oi!" Sanji yelled, though it was useless as he watched Luffy run off.

"Go ahead and shoot as much as you want!" The young Captain shouted to the man, enraged.

"Such a fool... The easiest enemy to kill is one whose in a frenzy. The sea is your hell, anchor boy. You're heading towards..." As he spoke, Krieg threw a few more bombs into the water in front of him.

"... your graveyard!" He announced.

"My graveyard?!" Luffy asked, running along the mast yet again in an attempt at finally reaching Krieg, only for the water to explode around him like last time, blocking his view. Another round of gunfire went off and the chefs watched with wide eyes.

"Oh no, get out of there 11097!" No one could see what was happening due to the water masking everyone's vision, but the pirates were grinning victoriously already, watching as Krieg's spiked bullets shot towards where Luffy had been.

"He's dead." One of them said confidently, grinning viciously. They were proven wrong however when the water cleared and Luffy was still running, not a single scratch on him.

"He... didn't get hit?" Gin asked in disbelief, not having expected that. After all, with that much water, it should have been impossible for Luffy to see the bullets, much less dodge them.

"You little..." Krieg growled, his confident grin falling into a scowl as he saw the unharmed Luffy still running his way.

"Gum Gum..." Luffy called, jumping into the air and swinging his fist out.

"Hit me... if you can!" Krieg shouted as he pulled his cape around him, revealing it to be covered in spikes.

"How dirty! That's..." Sanji trailed off, equal parts angry and worried as he watched beside Gin.

"Pistol!" Luffy called, covering his fist in a light coating of armament haki before slamming his fist into Krieg's face.

"What?!" The pirates cried unanimously. Everyone, even Zeff was watching with dropped jaws. The spikes underneath Luffys fist broke off, leaving the teen unharmed yet again, whereas Krieg now had blood covering his face as he fell to the deck.

"Don Krieg was beaten!"

"He hit him and the spikes!"

"How isn't he hurt?!" The chefs were all clamoring loudly to each other, trying to make sense of what they'd just seen, while the pirates sat in stunned silence.

"Holy shit..."

"We've never even seen Don brought to his knees..."

"He hit Don in his face! And he did it through that Porcupine Cape!"

"C... Can you believe that?!" The pirates asked softly.

"Don..." Gin muttered just as quietly. He was torn, because he still highly respected the man, even if he had ordered him to die, so to see Krieg being beaten made him want to help.

"Is this my graveyard? Or yours? Don't think you can send me to my grave with stuff like this. I'm not gonna die here." Luffy said to the downed Krieg, grinning wickedly.

"He's crazy..." Sanji muttered, Zeff eyeing him out of the corner of his eye.

"You see idiots like that every once in a while... ones who will fight to the death once they've set their eyes on a target..." Zeff told him, turning his view back to Luffy.

"Fight... to the death..." Sanji repeated, not understanding why someone would do that.

"You're in trouble if someone like that becomes your enemy. But you know, win or lose, I like guys like him..." Zeff continued. Gin sat nearby, in a state of shock as he watched Krieg's unmoving body, blood pooling beside the man's mouth. Never, in all of his time as a Krieg Pirate, had he seen the Don pushed to this limit- with one hit no less.

"Wh-What's gonna become of this fight?!"

"You idiot, that was just dumb luck! There's no way Don would be defeated by a stupid brat like that! Don't worry!" The pirates tried reasoning, not wanting to believe what they were seeing.

Finally, Krieg twitched.

"'I'm not gonna die here,' you said?" Krieg managed to get out, struggling onto his hands and knees.

"If you won't die here... then... who the hell will?!" Krieg asked, suddenly springing to his feet and pushing his shoulder plate into Luffys chest. The young Captain jumped upwards as the plate exploded, moving towards Krieg.

"You will!" Luffy yelled, hooking his foot on Krieg's shoulder as he jumped over the man's shoulder, pulling him back onto the ground.

"Don't get beaten again!"

"What the hell is going on?!"

"E-Enemies are supposed to die without even touching Don Krieg!"

"Dons supposed to be invincible... What the..."

"What the hell is that brat?!"

"The Marines were right! He and his brothers, they're from Hell itself!"

"Demons!"

"Devils!" The pirates roared in fear, but their words didn't faze Luffy, and all he did was grin, eyes shadowed by his hair and giving him an even more menacing aura then he'd already had.

"He's really good..."

"Yeah... I'm blown away..." Patty and Carne said to each other.

"It's a good thing he's on our side..." Sanji muttered, finally realizing just how strong Luffy was as he watched him fight.

"He's amazing!"

"Get Krieg!"

"Yeah, he can do it!" The chefs cheered, their moral rising at this new development.

"That kid is fighting Don at his level, without getting hurt..."

"This isn't a dream, right? Dons getting beaten by the Grand Line Demon..."

"Dons supposed to be invincible..."

"As it stands, the legend of Don Krieg the strongest will-"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Krieg roared, cutting off the pirate's doubts as he stood, taking off his other shoulder plate and connecting it with the first. With them connected, he pulled on a piece of wood sticking out, creating a long pole that he grabbed with both hands. Out of the two plates came a sharp spear, and with another roar, Krieg swung the new weapon at Luffy.

Luffy was able to jump backward, out of the way, but when the spear hit the ground, there was an explosion, shaking the piece of deck they were standing on.

"What the..." Sanji asked with wide eyes.

"F... Finally, Don Krieg's strongest weapon..." One pirate said in relief.

"The Mighty Battle Spear..." Gin mumbled, leaning forward as he watched with wide eyes.

"Battle Spear?" Sanji asked, only glancing at Gin for a second before looking back to Luffy who was now clinging to where the mast had broken off from to keep from falling in the water.

"What's that? It exploded." Luffy asked himself.

"Now... I'll see how long you can keep avoiding this... It'll be a sight, 11097! Those puny spears earlier didn't hit you, but this Mighty Battle Spear is different. As soon as you touch it, you'll be blown to pieces!" Krieg screamed, eyes bulging in raw anger. Swinging his spear again, he hit the deck again with it, exploding the surrounding area and sending Luffy flying away with the blast.

"I'll fall, I'll fall, I'll fall!" Luffy cried as he desperately looked for footing he could land on. Seeing a small piece of deck with a railing, he shot his hand out, grabbing it and pulling himself to it.

"Phew, that was close! What's with that spear? It explodes every time he strikes it down." Luffy said, trying to make sense of the new weapon he was up against. The small piece of deck that he was standing on was moving harshly under his feet due to the waves and he frowned.

"Damn! With the foothold rocking like this, I can't fight with full power." Luffy grumbled, trying to figure out a solution to this problem, but coming up empty.

A flood of murderous intent heading his way had him snapping his head up to see Krieg diving his way, the spear pointed right at Luffys face, but before it made contact, Luffy shuffled backward. Annoyed, Krieg began swinging the spear at Luffy rapidly, but the monkey merely jumped and flipped over or under every attempt. One of his flips had him dangerously close to the edge of the deck, water lapping up the sides of his sandals.

"Whoa whoa whoa..." Luffy muttered, trying to stop his momentum before he fell.

"Take this!" Krieg yelled, aiming his spear at Luffy and swinging once more.

"Phew! That was close!" Luffy said, wiping his forehead from where he was now clinging onto the wooden stick of the spear, everyone sweat dropping at his position.

"You... damn caterpillar!" Krieg roared, swinging the spear into the deck and causing yet another explosion that sent Luffy high into the air. Upside down, Luffy watched as the infuriated Krieg got ready to attack again.

While Luffy was still falling from the sky, Krieg stabbed his spear towards him. With a grin, Luffy coated his fists again and used them to punch onto either side of the pointy sharp metal. At the contact, another explosion went off, worrying the chefs and pleasing the pirates.

"11097!" Sanji called out, thinking that had been the end of it. As the light and smoke from the explosion cleared, they saw a charred Luffy fall onto the deck, but within the seconds that he'd hit the deck, he stood back up.

"Ha! I'm not done yet... You made me angry. I won't let you die so easily." Krieg laughed, not caring that Luffy wasn't down for good yet.

"Dammit! That bastard Krieg brings out weapons one after another... There's no way 11097 can-"

"Even if hundreds of weapons are built-in, he can't be defeated by someone with a spear of blind determination," Zeff said, cutting Sanji off. The two of them, as well as Gin, watched as Krieg swung the spear again, to which Luffy punched, setting off another explosion and charring him. Despite having exploded twice now, Luffy still stood back up, further angering Krieg when he only grinned at him.

"Now that makes you worth crushing..." Krieg growled, any amusement from earlier gone now.

"Life or death... In a pirate battle, if you fear death for even a moment, you'll fall to pieces." Zeff continued.

"What're you talking about?" Sanji asked, and even Gin was listening on.

"At least... that kid doesn't have any hesitation!" Another few explosions going off as Zeff spoke, Luffy standing again and grinning after each one.

"Is it a survival instinct? Or does he not fear death because he has faith in himself?" Zeff asked with a grin of his own.

"Faith..." Sanji murmured softly, eyes wide as he looked over to the fight again. Luffy was a little wobbly this time as he stood, but he was still grinning, still standing.

"Y... You son of a bitch! I told you that this is where you die! I am the strongest man!" Krieg screamed, charging Luffy and causing another explosion.

"The fleet Krieg gathered... His hundreds of weapons and poison... If they're all force... then that kid's spear is also force... The spear held in his heart... I know an idiot whose holding back that spear for a stupid reason..." Zeff said fondly. Beside him, Sanjis eyes widened further in realization while Gin listened in confusion.

"M-my Might Battle Spear is... What the hell did you do?!" Krieg's shout of surprised anger drew everyone back to the fight to see the sharp metal end of the spear crumbling away, Krieg looking at it with bulging eyes.

"I gave it five punches. I guess that's it for your spear." Luffy said with a smirk, feeling the shock overcoming Krieg's anger. Around him, the pirates were just as shocked, fear taking hold stronger than before, and the chefs were becoming confident again.

"H-he destroyed the battle-ax..." Gin uttered, feeling the same way as when he saw Mihawk destroy their ships.

"But he's taken that many explosions. His body couldn't possibly keep up..." Sanji said in concern, gripping his chest where he had his own injuries.

"Prepare yourself..." Luffy warned, lowering his body.

"Huh?!" Krieg asked incredulously, his shock morphing back to anger as he looked at Luffy.

"This is a big enough foothold. With this much space, I can kick your ass just like I said I would." Luffy told him, his smirk widening and fists clenching.

"What?" Krieg continued asking, as if not understanding what he was hearing.

"With the spear blade broken, that's just a bomb on a stick. The power is cut in half." Luffy observed, eyes flickering momentarily to the bomb Krieg held.

"You think so?"

"Yeah, I do," Luffy replied easily.

"A bomb on a stick? So what of it? It's still more than enough force to blow you away. Whatever you say sounds like just a bluff." Krieg said, his confidence returning now as well.

"It's not a bluff. Mihawk showed you the power of the Grand Line, but I can show you the power of the New World." Luffy said menacingly.

"Just give it up! The moment you defied me, you signed your death warrant!" Krieg said, not wanting to listen to anything Luffy was saying. Running forward, Krieg readied himself to hit Luffy again.

"I won't die! Bleah!" Luffy mocked, sticking out his tongue at Krieg, finger hooked around the corners of his mouth and pulling. This only aggravated Krieg more, and finally, he swung again. Luffy, however, jumped right over the attack, grabbing onto a wooden beam above them.

"Hey! I'm over here!" He teased, enjoying himself immensely.

"That monkey!" Krieg growled, swinging the bomb stick at the mast, knocking it down along with the beam Luffy was holding onto.

"Ooh ooh ah!" Luffy called, imitating the monkey Krieg was calling him as he swung around the falling wood.

"He keeps hopping around!" Krieg noticed, only to realize that Luffy was using a broken piece of wood like a javelin, throwing it right toward Krieg.

"It's useless!" Krieg yelled as he shot a red smoke from his wrist.

"Just how many built-in weapons does he have?" Sanji asked in disbelief. As the smoke disappeared, it showed that there was no more wooden pole heading his way. All that was left was a grinning Luffy.

"Gum Gum... Gatling!" With a flurry of punches, Luffy continuously hit Krieg's armor. All the while, Krieg smiled and took them, his confidence practically oozing off of him. When he was done, Luffy landed in front Krieg, his own grin never faltering.

"Weak! Your punches are powerless again this Woots Steel Armor! You cant even make a dent in it, New World pirate or not. This armor won't break, even with hundreds of monkey punches!" Krieg boasted proudly.

"Are you sure about that?" Luffy asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing at Krieg's shiny gold armor. Krieg's smile faltered, and when he looked down, he realized there was a crack.

"W-what?!" He roared, watching as the crack webbed out across his chest.

"Dons strongest armor! It's breaking!" A pirate cried in astonishment. In the second that Luffy turned his head to look at the speaking pirate, he realized with his haki that Krieg was moving. Looking back, he saw the man standing high in the air on the crooked, broken mast.

"So you cracked my armor, that means nothing! I'm the strongest, and with my weapons, I'll take you down too. Just because this armor cracked, doesn't mean its broken! The strong one is the one who survives." Even though Luffy could feel that Krieg wasn't as confident as before, he still looked it as he smirked down at Luffy.

"Then, that'll be me! Gum Gum..." Running up to where Krieg was standing, he threw both arms out behind him.

"Useless! Useless! It's useless! Even pride will only get you so far!" Swinging his bomb on a stick towards Luffy, Krieg was surprised when Luffy ran right through the explosion, unaffected.

"Bazooka!" Luffy called, bringing his fists forward and hitting Krieg right in the chest where the webbing was. Flying backward over the water, Krieg laughed as he dropped bombs from his hands into the water below.

"No good! This is all you can do." Krieg laughed, only to hear the cracking again. Looking down with wide eyes as he sailed through the air, he watched as the armor broke off of his body.

"But its too late! You're done for 11097!" Krieg laughed again, clearly thinking that he was going to be the victor regardless. Everyone watched as the bombs splashed gently into the water, Luffy frowning as they did.

"Its a trap! Get out!" Sanji cried, only a half-second before there were multiple loud explosions.

"11097!" Sanji yelled loudly, eyes wide as the wind from the explosions blew past him and the water rose, raining down on them.

"Gum Gum..." Yelling, Luffy surprised everyone, especially Krieg, as he pulled his arms back once again and jumped into the air.

"What?!" Krieg screamed, his fear rising again.

"Bazooka!" Now that the armor was gone, there was nothing to protect Krieg from the blow and the man cried out in pain, falling even faster towards the water. Everyone's jaws dropped, and then the chefs were cheering.

"All right!"

"Good job!"

"You're the best 11097!" Luffy knew better than to start celebrating now however, feeling that Krieg wasn't quite unconscious yet. He was proven right when he saw Krieg move.

"Not so fast!" He growled out painfully, blood dribbling down his chin. Luffy knew what was coming but was unable to redirect himself fast enough. Due to the bombs, Krieg had used earlier, anything Luffy could have grabbed onto was now gone, leaving him open. A net flew towards him and Luffy frowned, realizing it wasn't a normal net.

"Can you escape?! Its a steel net! Below us is the ocean. The game is over, 11097! I'm the one whose getting the last laugh!" Krieg cried, voice so desperate it was nearly insane. Luffy only smiled, pushing his arms and legs out.

"If I can get my arms and legs out, the game is mine!" Luffy told him, twisting his legs around the net towards where Krieg was holding onto it. Back on the Baraties deck, Sanji and Gin were watching with awed expressions.

"What?!" Krieg yelled as Luffys feet grabbed on to either side of his face.

"This is gonna end it for sure!" Luffy yelled, immediately letting his legs unwind, spinning Krieg rapidly through the air.

"Gum Gum Giant Gavel!" Luffy called out as he directed Krieg to hit the Baraties deck, smashing the man directly into it, and after a spike of fear, Krieg's emotions muffled. Still in the net however, Luffy fell right into the ocean.

Everyone, sans the pirates, cheered as they saw the bloodied, unconscious Krieg laying on the deck nearby Zeff, Sanji, and Gin. Sanji could only stare at the spot Luffy had fallen in awe.

"If you have time to daydream, go save that kid already!" Zeff told the blonde, confusing him.

"He won't be floating up to the surface! Those with the Devil Fruit power are hated by the sea and lose the ability to swim." Zeff informed him, turning his back to him.

"What'd you say, you damn geezer?! You should have told me that sooner! What're you gonna do if it's too late?!" Sanji shouted as he quickly threw off his shoes and jacket, Gin watching in a state of shock, unable to do more than blink and breathe at the moment.

Meanwhile, Luffy was trying his best to wrangle himself out of the net Krieg had him trapped in. Thanks to his sea resistance, he was able to move enough to attempt saving himself, however, the net was long and tangled, making it difficult for him to get it off. It was actually starting to frustrate him a bit, and he could feel the oceans curse trying to take effect on him, weakening him.

He felt another presence in the water with him, barely recognizing it as Sanji before he felt his resistance fail, and his body paralyzed, still tangled in the net as he lay at the bottom of the sea. Unable to hold his breath anymore, bubbles flew out of his mouth and he inhaled water.

Right before his eyes closed, though, he saw Sanji swimming his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! The Baratie Arc will be wrapped up in the next chapter and we'll be moving right on to Arlong Park! It feels a little strange to jump back into this world after focusing all of my attention on school for the past few weeks. I'm so happy to be back though and I can't wait to share with you all the next few chapters of this adventure!
> 
> In other news, my first few weeks of school have gone really well! I enjoy the classes I'm taking, and even though I'm extra busy now, I'm still excited to learn some new things! I will be moving back to my regular bi-weekly updates of this story and will be managing my time so that I can handle both school and writing, so don't worry, this stories not going anywhere.
> 
> With that, I'll leave you all until the next update. See you all with the next chapter!


	15. Goodbyes and New Adventures

"Say... Say something, 11097!"

Yelling beside him and a familiar burning in his chest, throat, and nose woke him up. Eyebrows scrunching together, Luffy coughed roughly a few times, sitting up as he did. There were brief flashes of being dunked over and over into tanks, Haru telling him to go longer, but he pushed them away as fast as he could when he saw the sun, the sky, the ocean.

"I'm the strongest man!" Someone was still yelling, though it wasn't the same person as before, and Luffy looked to see Krieg, who he vaguely remembered beating, standing with blank eyes and a bloodied face. The rest of the Krieg pirates were clinging to the man, telling him to calm down, and Luffy felt that the man wasn't even conscious despite his movements.

"He's still going?" Sanji asked beside Luffy, surprising the teen as he hadn't realized how close the blonde was.

"Gack!" Turning back, Luffy saw that Gin, who Luffy felt was still in a state of shock, punching Krieg in the gut, downing the man once more.

"Don Krieg... we lost." Gin said mournfully, slinging the man over his shoulder as he said this.

"Chief Commander!" One of the pirates said, surprised.

"Let's withdraw gracefully and start afresh. Thanks for everything Sanji-san." Gin continued, not even looking towards the chef.

"Sure. Don't ever come back!" Sanji answered without any hesitation.

"11097." Gin called to Luffy next. Tilting his head in question, Gin smiled.

"I'll see you again on the Grand Line." He promised, the young Captain smiling widely at the words.

"You..." Sanji trailed off in surprise, not having expected the pirate to say that.

"When I think about it carefully, that's the only thing I want to do... It seems that Don Krieg's ambition became mine as well before I knew it. The hell with Krieg's loyalty! I've just been running away using Don Krieg's name as a shield... Once you're resolved, you don't have to think about stupid things like fearing your enemy or how to keep from getting hurt... I learned that from you, 11097." Gin finished with a grateful smile towards Luffy.

"Shishishi, you're a good guy, Gin. I like you. I definitely want to see you again!" Luffy declared. Beside him, Sanji was smiling softly as well.

"Patty! Carne! Give him the boat used to go grocery shopping!" Sanji ordered, looking towards the two who were watching from the Baraties doorway.

"What?! Are you stupid?!"

"Why do we have to give our boat to pirates?!"

"What's gonna happen to our grocery shopping?! You idiot!"

"He's right! Let's let those guys swim!" As Patty and Carne yelled, one after the other, Luffy felt Sanjis irritation rise.

"Just bring it out already!" The blonde finally erupted, stunning the two to tears.

"Okay, we got it..."

"Don't yell at us..." They sobbed out seperately.

"Okay, okay, we'll bring it out!" They yelled together now, trying to hide their tears as they ran into the restaurant. Luffy laughed as he watched them go while Sanji shook his head and sighed.

It took a few minutes, but soon enough, Patty and Carne had brought the boat around and Gin, Sanji, and Luffy had piled all of the Krieg members, along with Krieg himself, onto the tiny boat. It wasn't nearly enough to hold them all, so they were all piled high, one on top of the other.

"Its gonna sink!" One of them cried in worry, but he was ignored.

"Why did I hesitate? What was I so worried about? When I think about it, I feel stupid..." Gin said with a smile, Luffy and Sanji returning it as they watched him step onto the boat.

"Well, then! We gratefully accept the boat. We don't have to return the boat, right?" Gin asked.

"Right. If you have the courage to come here to return it, try it, you small fry." Sanji teased.

"He's right! Just keep this in your brain! This is the sea restaurant Baratie, where cooks fight!" Patty called, Luffy feeling that all of the chefs were standing behind him.

"Yeah!" They called out, raising their fists proudly in the air.

"Hmph! What a scary restaurant..." Gin commented.

With that, Gin set the sail and he and the rest of the Krieg Pirates were sailing off, Luffy waving happily to them and smiling widely. It was only seconds after Gins boat was too far to see that Luffy started panicking.

"Ahh! My hat! My straw hat!" He cried, grabbing at his head as he realized he still wasn't wearing it.

"Oi, relax! It's right there." Sanji said as he gestured over to where Luffy had left the item on the deck.

"Huh? Oh yeah, there it is." Luffy said, calming down as he stretched his arm out and grabbed the hat, pulling it over and putting it on.

"By the way, will you-"

"I'm not joining you! I won't become a pirate. I'll continue as a cook here until I get that damn geezer to acknowledge my skills." Sanji said in determination, looking off into the distance as he spoke softly. Luffys smile left his face and it grew serious, also turning to look off at the horizon.

"Okay, then I give up." He said seriously.

"Your hand hasn't given up yet!" Sanji choked out, grabbing at his collar that Luffy was pulling on. When he got the rubbery appendage off of him, Sanji straightened his collar and sighed.

"I can't leave here... since they're all undependable... But I'm hoping to go someday... To the Grand Line." Sanji said with a wistful smile, Luffy feeling his words as true and laughing.

"Then let's go now." He suggested with a smile.

"It's not the right time yet. Say... do you know the All Blue?" Sanji turned to look at Luffy, his visible eye wide with excitement and his smile stretching bigger than Luffy had seen it before. The emotions from the blonde were happy, excited, longing, and Luffy thought that whatever this All Blue was, it was something that Sanji certainly liked.

"No..." Luffy replied honestly, wanting to know what was so amazing about it to make Sanji so happy.

"Oh, you don't?! It's a miracle sea!" Sanji answered before going into detail about the mystical place. Luffy listened on attentively, watching as Sanji grew more excited, clearly passionate about the All Blue.

Both Sanji and Luffy sat there on the broken deck for what seemed like hours, Luffy listening as Sanji rambled on about how amazing the All Blue was supposed to be. The straw-hatted teen was sure that Sanji could talk about the place forever, but he was stopped when a chef called him inside to start cooking.

Smile dropping, Sanji sighed and stood up with Luffy, smoothing out his clothes. Turning to head into the restaurant, Luffy laughed, stopping the chef who looked at him in confusion.

"You'll go there someday. To the All Blue. I know it." Luffy said confidently, giving Sanji his D smile as he did. The blonde blinked at him, Luffy feeling that he was surprised by his words, and then with a smile and nod, Sanji headed into the restaurant.

Glancing up to the upper floor of the Baratie, Luffy saw Zeff there, smiling fondly down at them, and with a small chuckle, Luffy headed inside as well.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"Guys! Mealtime!"

"Aw, man!"

"We can finally eat!"

"Food! Food! Food!" The chefs were sitting at two long tables set up in the restaurant when Luffy came down from upstairs, face cleaned from the char that he'd gotten from the explosions Krieg's bomb had caused. His mouth drooled at the smell wafting to his sensitive nose and he only barely noticed Sanji walking out from the kitchen behind him.

"Hey, where do we sit?" Sanji asked as he walked up to Luffy, talking to the chefs.

"Wheres our food?" Luffy asked, more concerned about eating than he was sitting. He'd eat standing if it was necessary.

"There's no chairs for you."

"Sit on the floor and eat." Two chefs said, one of them laughing as he spoke.

"No chairs? That can't be true! This is a restaurant!" Sanji said, annoyed as he looked around at the chefs stuffing their faces. Luffy wasn't hung up on that predicament though, and was instead going around and grabbing food to eat, putting it on a tray.

"Guess we can't help it..." Sanji muttered as he walked over to the wall and sat against it.

"They're acting kinda weird..." Luffy said as he returned to Sanji with a tray of food. He could feel that, even though the chefs were pretending to be mean and annoying, their emotions said that they were only acting.

"Hmph! Nothing new..." Sanji told him as the young Captain sat down beside him. A clang from the table as someone hit it drew their attention.

"Oi! Who prepared the soup this morning?!" Patty demanded, turning his head to look around the room. Beside him, Sanji raised his hand high, a giant smile on his face and pride swelling in his chest.

"I did it! Isn't it good? I made it especially good today!" The blonde chef boasted.

"I can't eat damn nasty soup like this! What is this, pig feed?!" Patty asked as he rubbed his mouth, spitting a few times as if trying to clear the taste from his mouth. Sanjis pride quickly turned to rage, his smile falling as he glared at Patty. Meanwhile, Luffy was continuing to eat as he listened, a little confused as to why Patty was lying so convincingly to the chef. He didn't intervene though, only watched on as he ate.

"Oi, is human food not to your liking, you damn raccoon dog?" Sanji asked lowly as he slowly stood up, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Ha! When its this bad, its art now. It makes me sick to my stomach!" Patty said, spitting again.

"I'm sorry, but I'm really confident about today's soup. There's something wrong with your taste buds!" Sanji all but growled as he walked towards Patty. At the table, Carne took a spoonful of the aforementioned soup, and once he wiped his mouth he was sticking his tongue out as well.

"Ugh! This is nasty!" Carne cried out, spitting like Patty had done.

"I can't eat it! Right, guys?!" Another chef yelled, going through the same motions of spitting in the air.

"I can't eat something like this!"

"This is damn nasty soup!"

"I can't eat soup like this!"

"This is terrible! Someone, give me some water!" One by one, the chefs tasted the soup and then immediately declared their hatred for it, spitting in the air as they slammed their spoons down onto the table.

"What do you think you're doing, you bastards?!" Sanji yelled out, enraged now.

"You're a sham Sous Chef after all... You're just an old-timer."

"We're sick and tired of you settling matters with violence!"

"If the foods bad, we're gonna say so!" They all yelled back.

"What'd you say?!" Sanji asked, almost daring them to continue.

"We're seafaring cooks. Don't waste even a drop of soup." Zeff said from his own table, eating the soup as he did until not a single drop was left in his bowl. Everyone looked surprised to hear him speak, and when he was finished they watched as he stood, smashing the bowl on the ground.

"Owner!"

"You geezer..." Luffy only continued watching, still not sure what was going on or why everyone was lying to Sanji.

"What is this damn nasty soup? It's like sludge! If we serve something like this, our restaurant will go out of business!" Zeff said as he pointed at the shattered bowl.

"Don't be ridiculous, you damn geezer! Just how is this soup different from yours?! Tell me!" Sanji demanded as he stepped forward, grabbing Zeff's collar and shaking him.

"From my soup? Don't flatter yourself!" The owner yelled after glaring back at Sanji. With a punch, Zeff knocked Sanji off of him and onto the floor.

"Owner punched him..."

"He didn't kick..." The watching chefs said quietly, obviously surprised by this turn of events.

"It'll be a billion years before you can give me a lecture on cooking, little brat. I'm a man who has cooked on seas around the world." Zeff yelled. There was a tense few seconds as Sanji stared at the man from the ground, holding his cheek, but eventually he stood.

"Dammit!" With that curse, the blonde chef ran out of the restaurant, slamming the door behind him. The chefs all move to the window, watching as the angry man jumped over the railing and took his anger out on the already destroyed deck, kicking it over and over again.

From the floor, Luffy had finished everything else and moved onto the soup that had started all of this, sipping it down in one gulp. With a satisfied sigh, Luffy stood up and went to get more.

"This soup is super good. I don't know why you lied." Luffy said as he ladled more of it into his bowl.

"We know its good. Sanjis cooking skills are recognized by everyone here." Zeff said in a much quieter tone than before as everyone looked over at Luffy.

"It's not bad at all."

"Yeah, this soup is very well made."

"Boy, that was scary... He seriously snapped..."

"Yeah..." Luffy continued listening as he ladled more and more soup into his bowl until it was full, and even then he only started ladeling it into his mouth.

Compared to other soups he'd had, this one was heavenly.

"But that idiot won't listen unless we go this far... Say, kid..." Zeff suddenly asked as Luffy went to sit back down on the floor.

"Hm?" Luffy hummed, eating more of the soup.

"You were saying that you wanted a cook for your ship, right? This isn't a favor that Id like to ask of you or anything, but would you take that little brat with you to the Grand Line?" When Luffy perked up at that, Zeff continued.

"The Grand Line... is his dream." Zeff continued.

"Man, Owner, you really made us put on quite a show."

"I was worried that he might figure it out because of your bad acting."

"Your acting was horrible, too."

"I'll have another bowl of soup!"

"Me too!" One by one, all the chefs that declared the soup to be inedible all went in for more, smiles on their faces as they did.

"So what do you say, kid?" Zeff asked once everyone was settled with their food again.

"No," Luffy replied bluntly, feeling everyone's shock as well as seeing it as some fell from their chairs.

"What?!" They cried out, none of them having expected that answer.

"I thought you wanted a cook for your ship. Or are you saying that he's not good enough for you?" Zeff asked in confusion.

"No, he's good enough all right. I do want him to come with me. But he wants to continue working here as a cook. Even if you guys ask me to take him with me, I cant. I won't force him to join." Luffy said as he finished yet another plate of food.

He had felt how adamant and determined Sanji was to stay here, and like he said, he would never force someone who truly didn't want to join him. He wanted people to join because they wanted to join, and Sanji didn't want to join. Not yet.

"So you're saying that you can't agree to it until he tells you so himself, huh?" Zeff asked as he stroked his long braided mustache.

"Exactly. More please!" Luffy said, holding out his empty plate.

"Well... fair enough. But who knows if that twisted damn brat can just say he'll go... There's no way he can sense he's an idiot through and through..." Zeff mused, ignoring Luffy completely.

"More please!" Luffy repeated as if the owner hadn't heard.

A familiar presence and strong feelings of panic and fear were suddenly closing in on the Baratie, and only seconds after Luffy turned to look at the door, it was smashed down with a loud crash, a dust cloud forming as a result. Standing, everyone watched as the cloud cleared and Sanji was laying there with a giant shark on top of him, a man sticking out of the shark's mouth.

"Sanji!"

"What is he? A Fishman?"

"He came all the way from the Fishman Island to eat our dishes?"

"Idiot! Its a human and a panda shark!" Poking his head through the crowding chefs, Luffy chewed on a bone.

"Yosaku!" He called, having recognized both the scent and haki signature of the man.

"Oh, Luffy-Aniki!" Yosaku cried, tears falling down his face as he twitched in the shark's mouth.

"Why are you alone? Where're the others? What happened to Nami?" Luffy asked. All Yosaku could do was twitch again, holding out his hand to Luffy in a silent plea for help. Seeing this, Luffy was able to get Yosaku out of the shark, sending it swimming off into the water. When Yosaku was out and recovering from his shock, he was able to explain what had happened.

"It's not that we caught up with her, but from the direction Nami-Aneki was heading, we figured out roughly where she was going," Yosaku told him, hugging a blanket tight around him that one of the chefs brought him.

"Hm, I see... We can bring her back then." Luffy determined, sitting in front of Yosaku.

"Well... If what we're thinking is right, her destination is a crazy place... In any case, we need your help, Luffy-Aniki. Please, come with me." The bounty hunter pleaded. Without any hesitation, Luffy nodded.

"Okay! I don't really get it, but got it. I'll come with you." Luffy affirmed, standing up with Yosaku and walking out of the giant hole the shark had caused. Outside, Sanji was leaning against the Baraties railing, lighting a cigarette.

"Wait!" He called as Luffy and Yosaku passed.

"hm?" Luffy hummed, stopping but not turning to look at Sanji.

"We both have foolish dreams. In order to achieve my goal, the All Blue..." Sanji started, Luffy having a feeling he knew where this was headed.

"Sanji..." He said, trying to stop the smile from coming in case he was wrong, though he did turn his head slightly to the side, still not quite looking at the chef yet.

"Yeah. I'll come along on your journey to become King of the Pirates!" The chef said, stepping away from the railing and looking at Luffys back, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"What?" Luffy asked, now fully turning his head to look at him.

"I'll be the cook for your ship. Is that okay or not?" Sanji asked, and even though he looked calm, Luffy could feel he was a little nervous to ask. Finally, Luffy let the giant D smile spread across his face, pumping out his fists in excitement.

"It's okay! All right!" He cheered, Yosaku running up beside him in equal excitement.

"I'm happy for you, Luffy-Aniki!" He cheered as well.

"Yeah!" Luffy yelled, grabbing Yosakus arms as the two began jumping in joy together.

"Yaay! Yaay! We got a cook! We'll have good food!" They cheered, spinning in circles as they did.

"So that's how it is, everyone. Sorry for causing you all sorts of trouble." Sanji said, addressing the chefs who were watching on.

"H! I don't like it! I wanted to kick you out of here myself. And you decide it so easily?" Patty remarked with a scowl, arms crossed over his chest.

"Sorry for making you resort to bad acting," Sanji said next, surprising them.

"You knew?!" Patty cried.

"I could hear everything since you're all stupid." The blonde quipped.

"What?!"

"That is to say, you're willing to go that far to kick me out, huh, you damn geezer?!" Sanji dared, though his expression never changed.

"Why do you always have to talk like that?! You bastard!" Patty yelled, raising a fist, but Zeff holding a hand out stopped him from continuing.

"Hmph! That's right, little brat! I don't like kids to begin with. Not a single day passed where I didn't regret letting a useless one live, you damn brat." Zeff answered with a glare.

"Ha! Fine by me, you damn geezer! Enjoy the rest of your life to the utmost."

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"You still need more?!" A chef asked incredulously as he stuffed a bag to the brim with meat.

"Yeah. Give me more meat." Luffy said as he held the bag open for the two chefs filling it.

"Just how many days will you be at sea?" One asked, continuing to fill the bag as best he could with how full it was.

"Don't know," Luffy replied simply with a shrug.

"Kid..." Hearing, and feeling, Zeff behind him, Luffy perked up and turned to look at him.

"Oh, old man." He said in way of greeting, wondering what the man wanted.

"Do you wanna take this? It's a record of my one-year journey in the Grand Line. I understand that even though you've sailed it with the Whitebeards before, you've never done it on your own." Zeff offered, holding out said logbook to Luffy who smiled.

"Don't need it." At his words, Zeff laughed.

"I knew it..." With that, Zeff turned and walked off, Luffy immediately turning his attention back to the fridge of meat.

"I want that marbled meat, too!"

"Enough already!"

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

Luffy and Yosaku sat on the boat that the chefs had provided them as they waited for Sanji to join them. The bag of food that Luffy had gotten from the chefs was inside the cabin and everything was all set and ready for them to go.

"Cook-Aniki sure is taking time..." Yosaku mumbled as he and Luffy stared at the doors of the Baratie. All of the chefs had assembled out on the deck to see them off, and even they were beginning to wonder where the blonde chef was.

And then finally, he appeared. He took slow, casual steps up to the doorway, and after a small pause, he stepped out onto the deck.

"This is for my longstanding grudge!"

"Be prepared Sanji!" Patty and Carne yelled as they moved into action at once. They both had oversized spoons in their hands and were attempting to hit the blonde from behind. It was useless however because Sanji quickly dropped his things onto the floor and ducked out of the way. In a swift movement, Sanji balanced on his hands, spinning his legs out and kicking both Patty and Carne in the face, knocking them bloody on to the deck. With that done, the chef picked his things back up and casually walked away towards the boat.

"There's no way you guys can defeat him." A chef muttered to Patty and Carne, shaking his head.

Everyone else was silent as Sanji walked through them and to the boat Yosaku and Luffy were waiting in. Luffy could feel that everyone was tense, but there was the underlying bittersweet feeling that people felt whenever they said goodbye to friends or family. It was the same in Sanji, and even though the blonde looked indifferent, Luffy could feel the turmoil of bitter sadness and longing, and even further underneath that was excitement.

"Let's go," Sanji said as he placed his things inside the boat.

"You don't have to say goodbye?" Luffy asked knowingly, glancing behind Sanji to the chefs.

"That's okay," Sanji said with a small smile now, preparing himself to get into the boat. He hadn't even got one foot inside when his name was being called, surprising him and making him freeze.

"Sanji. Don't catch a cold." Luffys smile widened as he looked up at Zeff who was watching with a smile of his own from the upper deck of the Baratie. Sanjis face morphed from surprised to struggling not to cry in an instant, his sadness and love increasing. It wasn't long before there were tears streaming down his face.

"Owner Zeff!" He cried, turning and kneeling down on the Baraties battered deck, his head to the ground.

"Thank you for all the damn things you've done for me over all these years! I'll never forget your kindness... for the rest of my life!" He cried gratefully.

"You asshole! I'll miss you dammit!"

"I'll miss you!" Sanji raised his head to see that everyone else was crying now too.

"I'll miss you too!"

"I feel sad, dammit!"

"You idiots! Men should part without a word." Zeff said, and even he was wiping his tears, smiling down happily to them.

With everyone successfully getting their emotions out, Sanji stood back up and got into the boat, Luffy smiling widely.

"Let's go! Set sail!" The teen cheered, arms outstretched.

"I'll see you again, you damn bastards!" Sanji cried, waving both arms to the chefs as the boat began sailing off, smiling as big as he could. Luffy laughed joyously, waving to them as well.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

Some time passed since the three left the Baratie, and Luffy had taken to relaxing on the ship's bow, hat over his eyes as he lay back. Sanji and Yosaku were lounging on the deck a few feet away, neither making a move to do anything else.

"Wah! The weather so great!" Luffy said happily with a stretch, sitting up.

"It's so much nicer than the New World! I don't think its rained or stormed once since I've been here!" He continued, jumping off the bow and running to the railing, looking out at the sea with a big smile.

"The East Blues so peaceful! Ah, but that means everyone here is weak too! Oh well, we're heading to the Grand Line, so there'll be stronger guys there! Man, I can't wait to go back!" Luffy said loudly, talking more to himself than to his two companions.

"Ne, where do you think the Grand Line is? That way? Or maybe its that way! This way? That way?" Luffy asked, jumping all around the ship and looking in different directions, his energy endless.

"You're annoying. Sit still, will ya?" Sanji asked, smoking a cigarette as he watched Luffy bounce around.

"Sorry! Sorry! But we finally have a cook, so we just need to get Nami back, and then we're finally going back to the Grand Line!" Luffy cheered, raising his arms again.

"Nami-san, huh? Just remembering her beautiful visage makes me happy! How I cant wait to see her again!" Sanji all but purred, the smoke from his cigarette changing to hearts.

"Ne, Yosaku. We're almost to where Nami is, right?" Luffy asked as he went to sit on the railing, and it was then he realized that Yosaku was practically a human-shaped ball of anxiety.

"You guys're soft-minded! Too soft-minded! Don't you get it?! Minute by minute we're heading right for the infamous Arlong! Big Sis' eyes were glued to Arlong's picture when she saw it! She wasn't her normal self! Nami-Aneki plans to take down Arlong and collect his 20 million Berry bounty! She may already be inside his compound as we speak!" Yosaku said, his tone dropping low and eyes narrowing. Luffy didn't like all the anxiety and fear in the man, so he tried ignoring it, stretching as he looked to Sanji.

"Well, let's have some food!" Luffy decided.

"Yeah." Sanji agreed with a smile, causing Yosaku to cry.

"Don't tell me you guys've never heard of Arlong?!" The bounty hunter exclaimed in disbelief.

"Arlong? Whose that?" Sanji asked.

"Never heard of him," Luffy said next, face blank. There was a part of him that thought the name was familiar though, like maybe he had heard of him, but where? And why? If Arlong was an East Blue pirate, then there was no way he would have ever heard anything about him.

"Alright, listen up! I guess I'll just have to fill you in about everything! Arlong is a Fishman who used to rampage throughout the Grand Line!" Yosaku began, pacing back and forth in front of Sanji and Luffy.

"Fishman?" Sanji asked, not having seen one before.

"A Fishman from the Grand Line..." Luffy muttered to himself, head tilting back and forth in thought, eyebrows creasing.

"Say, I hear the mermaids on Fishman Island in the Grand Line are absolutely beautiful!" Sanji mused, eyes shaped as hearts again as he blushed at the thought.

"They're pretty cool! Shib- Shora- Shirahoshi's really nice, but she cries a lot." Luffy said to Sanji with a smile.

"Shirahoshi? Whose that? Is it a beautiful mermaid just as I imagined?! Stunning and graceful in the water!" Sanji pictured, hands clasped together in front of him and his blush darkening.

"Shirahoshi's the princess. My brothers and I helped her and now we're friends with her and her brothers." Luffy explained, smiling as he thought back to the four,

"A mermaid princess! Just imagine the type of beauty such a Goddess would hold!" Sanji exclaimed, all but fainting. In front of them, Yosaku was facepalming.

"Stay focused! I'll explain from the very beginning. The reason the Grand Lines called a pirate graveyard in the first place is because of the three powers that reign over it. One of which is the seven warlords of the sea! Simply put, they're government-authorized pirates." Yosaku explained. He continued on to explain why the Shichibukai were allowed to exist and that they were all extremely powerful. He told them that Mihawk was one of the Shichibukai which interested Luffy. He had never paid much attention to Shichibukai and Yonkos, he just knew that they were all strong. To hear that Mihawk was one didn't surprise him all that much.

"So, one of the Seven Warlords is Jinbei, a Fishman pirate boss. And the Fishman Arlong is a pirate on par with him who used to commit atrocity after atrocity in the Grand Line!" Yosaku continued, piquing Luffys interest again when he mentioned Jinbei.

"Arlong has ruled over 20 towns since coming to the East Blue! His strength is far superior to Don Kriegs!" The bounty hunter exclaimed fearfully.

"Really?! That's great! I might actually have a fun fight!" Luffy said, happy to hear this which is not what Yosaku expected.

"What?! No, it's a bad thing! Arlong is strong, much stronger then Krieg! There's no way you could-" It was at that moment Yosaku remembered who Luffy was and as he stared at Luffys unwavering smile, the young teen practically vibrating with excitement, he realized that this may actually be an easy fight for the Captain.

"Why would Nami-san go to this guy all by herself if he's so dangerous?" Sanji asked in confusion. He didn't know much about Nami yet, but he had a feeling that she wouldn't throw herself into this kind of danger unnecessarily, especially by herself.

"I told you, shes after the bounty on his head!" Yoskau insisted.

"No, who knows? Maybe Nami-san is actually a mermaid! Especially given how lovely she is!" Sanji cooed as he imagined Nami as a mermaid.

"She is? She never told me!" Luffy exclaimed, a little annoyed to be hearing this.

"Are you guys even listening?!" Yosaku cried again.

"Yeah, there's a strong Fishman, right? We get it!" Luffy said, summing it up the best way he knew how.

"No, you don't get it! You don't know how strong Fishmen are!" Yosaku said, worried for the two.

"Sure I do. Namur's a Fishman, and he and I sparred all the time. There was this one time that Ruta and I had this cool idea to use him as a target! Shishishi, Ace, and Sabo were so mad at us for that!" Luffy laughed, remembering back to that day with a fond smile.

"Don't worry, Yosaku, everything's gonna be fine. We'll help Nami with whatever she needs, and I'll beat up this Fishman guy no problem." Luffy finished with a shrug, still smiling.

"Anyways, let's have some food," Sanji said as he stood up, having heard all he needed to hear.

"Yeah! Food!" Luffy cheered.

"Eh? Food?" Yosaku asked, not expecting that.

"What do you guys want?" Sanji asked as he rolled up his sleeves in preparation, grinning to them.

"Meat things with bones in it!"

"I want sauteed bean sprouts!" Luffy and Yosaku cheered with happy smiles.

"Alright! Leave it to me!" The chef said, turning to head inside and begin cooking.

"I'll be done in no time! Meat and bean sprouts..." He muttered to himself, heading inside and leaving Luffy and Yosaku outside.

"Having a cook really is great!" Luffy mused where he stood, hands on his hips.

"Y-Yeah!" Yoskau agreed.

"Meat! A jumbo serving of meat!"

"And bean sprouts for me! A jumbo serving!"

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"You're great, Sanji-Aniki! This is topnotch seasoning!" Yosaku praised as he shoveled food into his mouth as fast as possible.

"I want to make dinner for Nami-san more than I do for you guys," Sanji told him, drinking from his glass.

"I hope you manage to get Nami-Aneki to join again!" Yosaku said with a hopeful smile, finishing off his plate. Luffy, who had reached the bone of his meat, looked to Yosaku.

"We will! Shes our navigator! She's going to the Grand Line with us!" He remarked as if fact, reaching for the last piece of meat. Before he could grab it though, Yosaku snatched it up for himself.

"That's mine!"

"You just ate one! Let me have one too!

"But its mine!"

"C'mon, just one!"

"No! Give it back!"

"C'mon! Let me have it!"

"Quit rockin' the damn boat!" Sanji yelled furiously, having difficulty pouring himself another drink with Luffy chasing Yosaku around.

"You're going to make me spill this fine alcohol!" He muttered, but Luffy was more focused on something else. Letting Yosaku eat the meat, he turned to look at the water with a blank face.

"Somethings down there," Sanji stated as he walked up beside Luffy, also looking into the water.

"What?" Yosaku asked in confusion.

"It's big," Luffy noted, watching as a shadow appeared in the water. Right after saying this, the thing appeared, towering over their tiny boat.

"A sea monster!" Yosaku cried fearfully.

"Its a cow! It's huge!" Luffy called in amazement as he looked at the animal.

"A cow? They don't swim. Its a hippo." Sanji corrected as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"What's something like this doing in the East Blue?! This is a Grand Line creature!" Yosaku asked, terrified as he stared up at the sea cow. After he said this, the sea cow lowered its head to get a better view of them.

"Huh? What's this guy doing?" Luffy asked. He could feel that the sea cow was expectant of something, but animal emotions were harder to read than humans, so Luffy didn't know what the sea cow was expecting.

"He's after the food!" Yosaku realized, looking to the table that still had plates of food on it.

"What?!" Luffy cried, not wanting to give the delicious food up.

"Hurry and give it to him! He'll flip the boat over!" The bounty hunter yelled, but before he could even get a start on doing that, Luffy flung his fist at the cow, knocking it backward into the water.

"Stay away from my food!" He yelled, pointing a finger at the cow.

"You did it! You're incredible, Luffy-Aniki!" Yosaku cheered, only for the sea cow to rise back out of the water, clearly enraged.

"Looks like you make it mad!" Yosaku cried.

"Another one, huh?!" Luffy asked, readying another, more powerful, punch.

"You dumbass! Don't beat up someone whose hungry for no reason!" Sanji chastised, kicking Luffy over before the rubber man could attack again.

"He's probably hurt or something and can't catch his own food. Right? Here, eat up. No need to hold back." Sanji said, holding out a plate of food to the cow with a smile.

"What love..." Yosaku uttered as from where he was standing. Luffy, rubbing his side on the floor, watched as the cow's emotions changed from nervous, to contemplative, and then it opened its mouth.

"Die, you damn thing!" Sanji roared, kicking the cow away much like how Luffy had punched it.

"What're you doing?! What happened to that love?!" Yosaku yelled in confused anger.

"That bastard just tried to eat me, too," Sanji remarked, as if it was obvious. A roar from the water drew their attention as the sea cow ascended from the water once more, even angrier than last time as it swam straight towards their boat.

"Here he comes! He's gonna sink the boat!" Yosaku cried again, tears falling in fear.

"That's it-!" Luffy was stopped from his punch again when Sanji held out a hand.

"Hold on, I'll handle it." The chef said before running up to higher ground on top of the cabin. Using this height, he jumped into the air.

"Collier shoot!" Flipping his leg back, he kicked the cow right in the neck, stunning it and making it fall, again, into the water.

"Damn hippo..." Sanji muttered as he landed back on the boat, he and Luffy moving to sit back down at the table while Yosaku watched, dumbfounded.

"Alright! Back to food!" Luffy cheered.

"That was good exercise," Sanji said pleasantly.

"These guys are crazy..." Yosaku muttered in realization.

Of course, with Luffy, crazy is normal. Which is how, in a matter of a half-hour, the boat they had gotten from the chefs back at the Baratie was now being pulled along by the sea cow they had just defeated.

"Wahoo! Faster! To Arlong Park!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, so sorry everyone for the late chapter! I had such a long day at school and when I got home I immediately just laid in my bed. I was actually about to fall asleep when I bolted up and remembered that it was Thursday and you all were due a chapter. Well, technically now its Friday for me, but oh well.
> 
> In any case, the chapters up now and Sanji is officially a crewmember! Next is Nami, and then they'll be heading to Lougetown, which I'm excited for because I've got a little surprise for you all at the end of that little mini arc.
> 
> But let's not get ahead of ourselves now. I know this chapter, like many from the East Blue Arcs, followed canon rather closely, but I promise, after Lougetown, that'll change. We'll start learning a few things that'll drive the plot of this altered universe and we might even see a few familiar faces from The Devil Wears White!
> 
> So, with that said, I'll leave you all to wonder on just what those new developments could be. Hopefully I'll be on time next time! Thank you as always for all of your support, it truly means everything to me! See you in two weeks!


	16. Luffy's Arrival

"Go! To Arlong Park!" Luffy cheered with his D smile, pointing ahead of them as the wind blew past him harshly. He was standing, quite recklessly, on the bow of the ship as it cut through the water with ease. Behind him, Yosaku was clinging to the railing, tears in his eyes as he cried out in fear, while Sanji was unfazed, standing on the deck and holding back his hair that was whipping around his face from the wind.

"Hang on Nami!" The young Captain said, his smile lowering to a grin of determination. It took a little while, but eventually they were able to see their destination up ahead. Excitement filled Luffy as he saw the tall building in front of him, and already he could feel faint emotions coming from the island. It was more impressions than actual emotion, but from what he was feeling, it wasn't good.

"There it is. Arlong Park." Luffy murmured softly. It was then that he realized the sea cow pulling their boat was beginning to slow down and zig-zag.

"Oi! Don't get tired, cow!" Luffy whined. They were already so close, and now the cow was going to poop out on them.

"Yeah, Sanji-Aniki's kicks must've really taken their toll!" Yosaku guessed, finger on his chin as he eyed Sanji from the corner of his eye.

"Hey! Not that way! To the left! That building!" Luffy called to the cow, pointing towards the tall building, however the sea cow didn't, or couldn't, listen and ended up veering right. Because of this, instead of going right up to the building, they ended up heading towards a bunch of trees, as well as a formation of rocks sticking out of the water. Seeing this, Yosaku began screaming in fear that they were going to crash, and Sanjis eyes were wide. Luffy only had time to blink in realization before the cow rammed into the boulders, sending the boat flying off above the island.

"Its almost like we're flying!" Luffy cried.

"Not _'like!'_ We _are_ flying, dumbass!" Sanji yelled, he and Yosaku trying to hold on while Luffy continued standing precariously on the bow.

"W-We're falling!" Yosaku cried nervously, watching as the trees below them quickly got closer and closer, until they were falling beneath them and crashing to the ground. Instead of that being the end though, the boat began sliding across the forest floor, knocking down any trees in its path.

"Landing successful!" Luffy yelled out with a wide smile, laughing as he held onto his hat. Now would not be a good time for it to go flying. Suddenly, he felt a familiar presence as well as the quickly rising fear in front of them and his smile fell.

"Yo! Zoro!" Luffy called in greeting, only for Zoro to immediately be run over by their boat. They continued sliding across the floor right out of the forest and across a rice field, and then, finally, they crashed into a cliffside, stopping their adventure.

"We made it! We made it!" Luffy cheered, pumping his fists happily in the air as he chanted.

"W-what the hell... are you guys doing?!" Zoro's muffled yell asked. Beneath the broken wood, Zoro poked his head out, clearly angry.

"What do you mean? We're here to get Nami. Have you still not found her? Oh yeah! And what about Usopp and Johnny?" Luffy asked as he dusted off his clothing. Sanji was sitting behind him, his hair windblown and a look of exhaustion on his face. Behind them both, Yosaku was twitching, only his legs sticking out of the rubble that was their boat.

"Usopp! T-That's right! There's no time to be loafing around here!" Zoro cried as he stood up and began running off. The panic in the swordsman confused Luffy as he turned to watch him run.

"What's wrong?!" Luffy called after him. Zoro paused in his run long enough to turn to them and answer.

"That bastards been caught by Arlong! We gotta hurry before he's killed!" Zoro yelled back to them.

"He _was_ killed." At the sound of Johnny's voice, everyone turned in surprise.

"What?!" Zoro asked, blinking in shock. Johnny, who was quite a few feet away from them, fell to his knees, a look of despair on his face.

"We're too late... Usopp-Aniki is dead! He was killed! By Nami-Aneki!" Johnny cried. At his words, everyone was stunned into silence. Luffy could feel that he was telling the truth, or at least what he believed to be the truth, and that only made it all the more unbelievable to Luffy.

"Yeah. It's terrible! She was a witch all along! She's been winning Arlongs favor so she could have the treasure buried in Cocoyashi Village all to herself! She'll calmly kill people for it, too! She's scum, rotten to the core! She had us fooled the entire time-" Before Johnny could say any more, Luffy rushed forward, grabbing the collar of Johnny's shirt and pulling him up into the air.

"You! Try saying that again! I'll kick your ass!" Luffy roared in anger. He knew that Nami hadn't been deceiving them, at least, not in the way Johnny was implying. He knew Nami had been hiding something, but he doubted it was how Johnny was assuming, and to hear the man bad-mouthing his navigator pissed him off.

"Stop, Luffy. This has nothing to do with Johnny." Zoro said calmly from the sidelines.

"If you don't want to believe me, then don't! But I saw it with my own two eyes! She killed Usopp-Aniki-" Again, Johnny was speaking the truth, and that only confused and pissed off Luffy all the more as he cut the man off by shaking him.

"Quit saying nonsense! Nami would never kill Usopp! We're friends!" He shouted, barely keeping back the urge to fight Johnny. He knew Nami couldn't kill anyone, not after what he'd seen of her back with Buggy. Hearing- and feeling- that Johnny was telling the truth about seeing her kill Usopp, yet knowing the navigator and how she felt, Luffy didn't know what to believe.

"B-but I..." Johnny, faced with Luffys enraged face, couldn't find it in himself to speak anymore.

"Who're friends, Luffy?" A new voice asked from behind them. Everyone looked to see Nami standing there with a fierce look on her face and immediately the rage left Luffy. Now he would be able to get some answers.

"Nami!" He said in surprise, dropping Johnny and letting the man fall to the ground as he turned to look at the redhead.

"Why are you here?" She asked coldly, arms crossed over her chest. Despite her cold demeanor, Luffy could feel her conflicting emotions fighting inside her.

"What're you talking about? You're our friend! We came to get you!" Luffy answered honestly, noting the twinge of regret and longing in the girl.

"You're a problem." She answered instead, and if Luffy didn't have his ability to feel emotions, he'd probably buy her act.

"Nami?" He asked instead, wondering where she was going with this.

"Friends? Don't make me laugh! You're just a pathetic bunch of people cooperating with each other." She told them, her expression never changing for an instant, but the same couldn't be said for her turbulent emotions.

Not to mention, he could feel her lies.

"Damn you! You killed him! I saw it with my own eyes!" Luffy wasn't able to stop Johnny as he ran forward, pointing an accusatory finger at the navigator, tears in his eyes.

"How dare... How dare you kill Usopp-Aniki!" He cried, and Luffy knew now he would finally get the answer on what had happened to the long-nosed man. As much as he longed to stretch out his haki and look for the man, he wasn't good enough yet to span it too far, and from what he could sense, Usopp wasn't there.

"So what? Why not kill me as revenge, then?" Nami suggested with a small smirk. Johnny obviously hadn't been expecting that answer and faltered.

"What?!" He asked in surprise, his finger falling.

"I'll tell you this much. Right now, Arlong wants to kill Roronoa Zoro and his men. Because Zoro just had to be stupid. No matter how monstrously strong you guys are, you're no match for real monsters. If you hang around this island, you will wind up being killed. Not that it matters to me, though." Nami replied, her smile still on her face as she spoke.

"Her cool look is so enchanting too! Hi, Nami-san! It's me! Do you remember me?! Lets set sail together!" Sanji declared, waving his arms in the air and hearts in his eyes.

"Shut up, you! You're just complicating things!" Zoro shouted in irritation.

"Say what?! Love is always a hurricane!" It didn't seem that Zoro was listening anymore though, the swordsman looking back towards Nami to the chagrin of the chef.

"Oi! Listen when people are talking!" Again, Zoro ignored him, instead asking something that was on everyone's mind.

"Wheres Usopp?" Zoro asked.

"Bottom of the ocean," Nami replied curtly, and Luffy was relieved to feel that there was only a hint of the truth in that statement, suggesting that Usopp was no longer there, and in turn, not dead.

"Damn it! Cut the crap!" Before Zoro could run forward and attack Nami with his swords, Sanji stopped him, kicking towards the swordsman who ducked under it.

"A swordsman would even strike a lady, Roronoa Zoro?" Sanji asked, a newly lit cigarette in his mouth.

"What?! You don't even know whats going on here! Back off!" Zoro growled out in annoyance.

"I guess I'd be irritated too, coming right off an insulting defeat." Sanji taunted instead of moving.

"Huh?! Oi! Watch that mouth of yours!" Zoro yelled, one sword still in hand.

"Mind your own damn business, you damn bastard!" Sanji yelled right back, neither budging in their resolve.

"Bros! This is no time for you two to be going at it!" Yosaku cried, waving his arms beside the two in a desperate attempt to stop their arguing.

"That's right! If you're going to fight, could you do it off the island?! Don't butt anymore into this lands affairs, you outsiders!" Nami demanded, only slightly annoyed now herself. Luffy could feel that she was more concerned than angry like she wanted them to believe and that only made him wonder why she was acting in front of them. He could feel that most of her words were lies. He could feel that her words held a hint of urgency to them, the woman wanting them to leave for some reason other than what she wanted them to think. The concern made him think she was worried for there safety should they stay, and if that was the case, he knew that concern was misplaced.

"Do you still not get it? The one and only reason I got close to you was for the money! Now that you're flat broke, you have no charm whatsoever!" After all the half-truths and misleading words, Luffy felt that those last words were straight out lies, clear as day.

"You can have your ship back, so just go find a navigator somewhere and go into the Grand Line! Go look for your One Piece or whatever! Just get the hell out of here! You're an eyesore!" She all but yelled now, turning her body slightly away from them in preparation to leave. There was a pause after her words where they all waited for what she would say next, none of them so much s moving.

"Goodbye." She finally said, a frown on her face and her eyes shadowed by her hair. The sadness and longing doubled in the redhead, surprising Luffy with their intensity.

"Nami..." He said softly. There was another pause as everyone stood staring at each other, and then finally, Luffy closed his eyes, falling onto his back.

"Luffy-Aniki!" Johnny exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm going to sleep." Luffy declared, putting his hands behind his head to cushion it slightly.

"Sleep?! In this situation?! And right in the middle of the road?!" Yosaku asked, stepping towards Luffy a little more.

"I don't plan on leaving the island, and I'm not interested in what's happening on the island. And I'm a little sleepy. I'm going to sleep." Luffy explained, eyes still closed.

"Huh?!"

"L-Luffy-Aniki..." All around him, everyone slumped at the realization that the straw-hatted Captain was serious.

"Fine... Fine, whatever! Go ahead and die!" Nami screamed before running off.

"Na-" Sanji didn't even finish saying the woman's name, taking the cigarette out of his mouth as he watched her run.

On the ground, Luffy was already fast asleep.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"He's alive!"

"Actually, I think he's dead now..." Luffy woke up slowly, sound drifting to his ears and his heightened sense picking up a familiar smell.

"Usopp!" Luffy cried, sitting up and looking over to see a badly bruised Usopp sitting in between Zoro and Sanji. Running over to the man, Luffy pulled him close, shaking him.

"Did Nami do this to you?!" He asked worriedly. He knew Nami hadn't killed Usopp, but that didn't mean he'd put it past her to hurt him.

"Sorry! Me and him did that." Sanji admitted, pointing to Zoro who stood beside him.

"You did it!" Zoro said defiantly.

"L-Luffy! You're here?!" Usopp asked when Luffy finally stopped shaking him.

"Yeah. Just got here." Luffy answered with a nod and a smile.

"Oh, I came too! Good to work with you!" Sanji added with a smile. Hearing the familiar voice, Usopp jumped to his feet, getting in Sanjis face.

"Someday I'm gonna kill you!" Usopp said determinedly, annoyed that he'd gotten hurt from Sanji and Zoro.

"Oh! You're pretty alright after all!" Sanji noted, still smiling as he patted Usopps arm.

"Shut up!" Usopp cried, eyes bugging with rage.

"Speaking of which, we heard Nami killed you," Zoro said, arms crossed over his chest as he looked at the not dead Usopp in front of him.

"Eh?!" Usopp asked, obviously hearing this news for the first time.

"Oh yeah, Nami was lying about that. Johnny wasn't lying though, which was confusing, but I knew Nami wouldn't kill you Usopp!" Luffy said, patting the man on the back and smiling widely.

"Wait, you knew all along and didn't say anything?!" Zoro asked in annoyance. Luffy laughed at that, rubbing the back of his head.

"I was tired." He said with a shrug instead. At his words, Zoro facepalmed, muttering something under his breath that Luffy didn't quite hear.

"Anyway, what _did_ happen then? Johnny seemed pretty adamant over the fact that you were dead." Sanji said, curious as to how he could have mistaken that.

"In a way, he wasn't lying... But its actually the opposite! Nami saved my life!" Usopp said, before launching into the tale of how Nami had saved him, stabbing her own hand instead to make it look as if he'd been stabbed.

"So that's how Nami pretended to kill me and let me escape! It looks to me like there's a reason she's in a Fishman pirate group!" Usopp said with a frown.

"Obviously," Sanji muttered, but was ignored.

"So, what do we do? Do we storm Arlong Park?" Zoro asked, ready to fight at a moment's notice.

"H-Hold on! We gotta find out what the story with Nami is first!" Usopp said, not wanting to do anything too hasty.

"Its no use either way." A new voice said. Looking, everyone saw a blue-haired girl standing a few feet away, a hand on her hip as she looked at them.

"No matter what you guys do, Arlongs rule won't come to an end." She continued.

"Nojiko!" Usopp exclaimed, obviously knowing the girl. Seeing this, Luffy turned to look at the long-nosed man, pointing to the girl.

"Who's she?" He asked.

"Nami's big sister," Usopp answered simply.

"N-Nami-san's older sister?! No wonder she's so beautiful!" Sanji cooed.

"What do you mean its no use?" Zoro asked, once again ignoring Sanji as he addressed Nojiko.

"Please, don't get any more involved with this village. Leave Nami alone. I'll explain the circumstances." She said to them.

"Circumstances?" Sanji asked, calming down.

"You mean why she joined Arlongs group?" Usopp asked, interest piqued.

"Yes. You'll feel like leaving the island once you hear it." She said confidently, never changing her relaxed stance.

"Alright. Let's hear this reason or whatever, then." Usopp conceded, only for Luffy to immediately deny it.

"I'll pass." The straw-hatted teen said, beginning to walk away.

"H-Hey!" Usopp called, watching as he walked away, past Nojiko.

"I don't care about her past," Luffy responded, not looking back as he walked.

"Where are you going Luffy?" Sanji asked, also not making a move to follow after Luffy.

"For a walk." The simple response was met with Usopp's rising surprise.

"A-a walk?! You're not gonna listen to this?!" He asked.

"No. I'll pass," Luffy said, still walking as he spoke. No one else said anything to Luffy, letting him walk off wherever he was going.

Luffy didn't really know where to go, however. He'd only been on this island for a few hours at the most, and most of that time he had spent sleeping. He spent a while wandering around aimlessly and eventually had circled right back to where he had started.

Of course, he didn't notice this as he was focused more on the path than his surroundings, and because of this, it was only due to his haki and enhanced abilities that he noticed three Fishmen standing in front of him.

"I wonder if they know Jinbe." Luffy mused quietly to himself as he walked up to them. He didn't slow down, didn't stop, and instead just continued to walk right through the Fishmen who were standing tall in front of him. When he didn't stop or react, he felt the Fishmens emotions change from confident and powerful to surprised and annoyed.

"O-oi! Wait! You!" The one in the middle called, turning to look at Luffy as he continued walking unhindered down the path.

"Huh? You called?" Luffy asked, finally stopping to look at the Fishmen.

"W-who are you?! What are you doing on this island?!" The middle one demanded to know, shaking his fist at Luffy.

"What does it matter to you?" Luffy asked curiously. The annoyance and surprise left the Fishman as he blinked at the straw-hatted teen.

"Y-yeah. You have a point." He realized, lowering his fist.

"I'm Luffy. I'm taking a walk." Luffy decided to answer next. After all, the guy had asked.

"A walk?!" The surprise was back at Luffys mundane answer. Obviously, the Fishman hadn't been expecting it.

"Have fun!" He called next with a smile, waving his six arms at Luffy who was already beginning to walk away again.

"Where are you headed?!" The Fishman called, curious.

"Heck if I know," Luffy answered, not looking back as he walked. He felt suspicion coming from the other two Fishmen, the ones who had remained silent throughout the interaction, but they didn't act on it. If they knew who Luffy was, they weren't saying anything about it at the moment.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

Throughout his wandering, Luffy eventually managed to stumble across a town. He hadn't gotten very far into it, however, when he spotted a group of marines, as well as a guy, walking right towards him.

Sweating, he quickly glanced around him for someplace to hide and ducked in between two houses, peaking safely around the corner as he watched the group walk down the street. He didn't want to cause Nami any trouble, and that meant staying out of the marines sight so they didn't identify him as the notorious 11097.

Watching them pass, he couldn't help but notice that the man walking with the marines had a pinwheel on his hat, intriguing him.

"Why does that old guy have a pinwheel on his head?" He mumbled quietly to himself.

"So cool!" He whispered next, smiling only slightly. Now that the marines were gone, he deemed it safe to leave his cover and began walking down the street again. He walked down the end of the street before deciding to take a rest under a palm tree where he let himself relax, taking in the feelings of the townspeople around him.

None of them were very relaxed, though. They were all worried, tense, anxious, fearful, and it made Luffy fidget uncomfortably. He hadn't noticed it before, too lost in his own thoughts to realize, but now that he did he wanted the emotions gone. He didn't know what was causing them though, but he did recognize them to be the same feelings that Nami had had ever since he'd met her.

Trying to ignore the uncomfortable feelings, Luffy thought back to the guy with the marines again. Arms behind his head, he looked to the sky.

"A pinwheel, huh?" A smile stretched across his face at his own thoughts.

"I thought up a good move!" He said cheerfully to himself, only for that cheer to once again be interrupted by a sudden spike in fear, worry, and pain. Just as he was glancing over to its source, people began shouting.

"Doctor! Doctor!" A familiar scent drifted to his nose and across the street Luffy saw Nami and the pinwheel man from before standing there, people swarming around them. In the pinwheel guys arms was Nami's sister, Nojiko, and from what Luffy could tell, the pain was coming from her.

"What is it Gen-san?!"

"Nojikos been shot!"

"By who?!"

"The Navy!" The loud shouting drifted over to Luffy and he frowned. He already hated the Marines, and with everything happening now, that hatred only increased. He could feel the grief, the anger, the betrayal oozing off of Nami, and all of the negative emotions were enough to put Luffy in a bad state of his own. His frown deepened and his fidgeting returned as he tried holding back his own tears of grief and anger.

Before he could block the feelings out on his own, Nami was running off down the street, a fire in her eyes. Luffy could feel her rage just as strong as when she'd been standing in front of him, giving testament to how angry she was.

Taking deep breaths, Luffy tried calming himself down, relaxing further against the tree.

Nami didn't want him to interfere yet. So he wouldn't.

**_/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_ **

He had managed to drift off again only to be woken up by the strong negative emotions again.

The street was filled with people, Nami at the front of them and trying to calm them down, however, it proved unsuccessful as they ran past her with makeshift weapons in their hands. Luffy watched as Nami, holding a knife, fell to her knees and began crying; her frustration, anger, and grief all reaching their breaking point as she began stabbing herself in the arm over and over again.

Feeling that enough was enough, Luffy stood from his tree and walked over to her, grabbing her wrist and stopping her from hurting herself any further.

"Luffy..." She uttered weakly, tears falling down her face and blood dripping down her arm. Seeing that she wasn't hurting herself anymore, Luffy let go of her wrist and she dropped the knife, bracing herself as she leaned forward, hands on the ground and head hanging low.

"What do you want?! You don't even know anything! You don't even know whats happened on this island for the past 8 years!" She said bitterly, her words strained from her crying.

"Yeah, I don't." Luffy agreed monotonously.

"This has nothing to do with you! I told you, leave the damn island already!" She cried, shoulders shaking and fingers digging into the dirt beneath her.

"Yeah, you told me," Luffy answered again, still not giving away his own emotions.

"Leave! I don't need you! Leave! Leave! Leave! Leave! Leave! _Leave! Leave! Leave_!" After clawing the dirt at Luffy as she repeated the word over and over, she finally stopped, sobbing into her hand and falling silent.

"I told you I know when people are lying, right?" Luffy asked. There was another pause as Nami continued crying, but finally she raised her head.

"Luffy... Help me..." She said, turning to look at him finally. Taking off his hat and placing it on Nami's head, Luffy began walking away, only to stop a few steps.

"Of course I will!" He screamed loudly, arms raised in the air as he did. Down the street, Zoro Sanji and Usopp were all waiting and from behind him, Luffy could feel Namis mixture of surprise and gratitude.

"Let's go." The teen Captain ordered, his three crewmates lifting their heads.

"Yeah!" After the three agreed, the four of them began making their way to Arlong Park.

Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji all marched silently down the long road, none of them needing to say anything. After walking for a few minutes, they could see the crowd from earlier standing outside the gates of Arlong Park, and Luffy could feel their anger as well as hear them yelling.

Without saying so much as a word, Luffy and his crew continued walking over to the group.

"Here they come!" Johnny exclaimed with a smile, he and Yosaku standing from where they had been sitting, guarding the doors. The two of them were both dirty and bleeding, obviously having gotten into a fight not too long ago. At Johnny's words, everyone turned to see who _'they'_ were and saw the four pirates.

"It's them..." Nojiko said in disbelief.

"Just who are they?" Pinwheel man asked.

"If they can't handle them, then there's no hope for not only this island, but for the future of the entire East Blue!" Yosaku exclaimed, holding his arm that was most likely injured.

"Then faces of those four men whore here to change destiny... Burn their images into your eyes!" Yosaku continued, everyone watching in a mixture of confusion and awe.

"Move aside," Luffy ordered the crowd when they were close enough. Doing as he said, the crowd parted for him, Johnny and Yosaku moving aside as well.

Crouching, Luffy glared at the gates keeping him from Arlong and pulled his fist back. Without saying a word, Luffy threw his fist forward, knocking the gates off their hinges and throwing them all the way to the opposite side of the fence. Seeing as the large gates were gone, there was now a giant hole in the fence where Luffy now stood.

"What the..." A voice from inside Arlong Park exclaimed. Standing up from his crouched position, Luffy held up his fist, scanning the Fishmen inside.

"Which one of you is Arlong?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had one crazy week this week. Writing this chapter and getting it posted has been a great way for me to just relax and travel someplace that wasn't real life and I hope you all enjoy, not only this chapter, but whats to come in the next few chapters.
> 
> Side note, I just realized that my email wasn't giving me notifications for comments. Of course, I knew I was getting comments, but it wasn't until I went into my email and saw all of my unread messages that were from AO3 that I realized I was missing out on so many more of your guys' comments then I realized! As always, thank you all so much for your love and support!
> 
> Anyway, I have to get back to my crazy life. I hope to see you all again when I post the next chapter! Until then, stay safe everyone!


	17. The Day Arlong Park Fell

"Which one of you is Arlong?!" Luffy demanded, his eyes looking over every single Fishman.

"Arlong?" The one sitting in the chair asked, not even looking towards Luffy.

"My name happens to be Arlong..." He continued, identifying himself as the one Luffy wanted.

"I'm Luffy." The young Captain said as he walked forward towards the Fishman.

"Luffy? You wouldn't happen to be the 11097 I've been hearing about, would you?" At Arlongs words, there was a multitude of whispers behind Luffy, the crowd finally recognizing him.

"That's right," Luffy confirmed, shocking everyone even further.

"That's him! He's here! The guy who likes taking walks!" The one with six arms exclaimed. Luffy recognized him and the other two he was standing with as the three he'd seen earlier.

"Hold it you."

"Where do you think you're goin'?!"

"You need to run things by us first, kiddo."

"Yeah!"

"If you don't stop..." In front of him, the fishmen all began speaking one after another, two of them blocking him from advancing any further towards Arlong and grabbing Luffy by the shoulders. It was clear that, despite knowing who Luffy was, the fishmen felt overconfident in their abilities in being able to take him down.

It was really starting to piss him off that everyone kept underestimating him.

"Move!" Luffy growled, grabbing the two fishmen by their heads and knocking them into each other. When he felt their emotions muffle and was satisfied that they were unconscious, Luffy continued on towards Arlong.

"What does a Whitebeard want with me?" Arlong asked. Luffy felt the surprise at the show of Luffys strength, but the Fishman didn't show it like his comrades did.

Not even correcting him on the fact that he'd left the Whitebeards, Luffy reared back his fist again, coating it in haki before letting it fly right into Arlongs jaw. With a loud smack, Arlong was sent tumbling out of his chair and flying in the direction of the stone wall that was already damaged from the gate Luffy had knocked down earlier. When the Fishman reached the wall, he collided into it with a loud crash, stone falling around him and dust clouding everyone's vision of him.

When the dust finally did clear, Arlong was seen to be bleeding slightly from the corner of his mouth, his jaw already beginning to bruise lightly.

"What the hell?" Arlong growled, anger clear on his face as he glared at Luffy. Luffy, who was now standing straight again, glared right back at Arlong, his glare easily more menacing than the Fishmans.

"Don't make our navigator cry!" Luffy shouted, enraged.

"Why, you!"

"How dare you insult Arlong-san!"

"Whitebeard Pirate or not, we'll take you down!" Luffy didn't even attempt moving away from the multiple fishmen jumping out of the water and running towards him. It was unnecessary because, with the sound of running footsteps, Sanji was there, kicking all of the fishmen away before they could get close enough to even attempt touching Luffy.

"Butt out, small fries!" Sanji yelled, sending everyone he kicked falling unconscious on the ground.

"Yeesh. You just had to run on ahead by yourself..." Sanji muttered as he walked over to Luffy, standing beside him.

"It's not like I'd lose on my own... Sorry to worry you," Luffy said, knowing he was strong enough to win this fight, but feeling that the chef had been worried regardless.

"Idiot! When did I say I was worried about you?! I just don't want you hogging all the prey!" Sanji said as he turned to look at Arlong. Luffy realized that he hadn't told Sanji about his abilities yet, but decided now wasn't a good time to bring that up.

"I-I don't mind if you hog them all, though!" Usopp stuttered as he walked up, trying to look confident yet failing due to the sweat pouring down his face.

"You sure got some guts," Zoro said as he walked in behind Usopp.

"That's him! He's the unknown swordsman!" The Fishman that had recognized Luffy exclaimed, pointing at Zoro with wide eyes.

"Its Roronoa Zoro." The blue Fishman beside him said, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Yeah? Yeah. I thought so! He tricked me! Look, sine, and hinker... No! Hook, line and sinker... right?" The octopus Fishman said, more to himself than to the others.

"Look! It's long-nose!" Another realized once they saw Usopp.

"D-didn't Nami kill him?!" The octopus Fishman asked in surprise.

"The bastards still alive. Which means..." The Fishman behind the octopus started.

"I knew it. The girl was a traitor, just as I suspected!" The blue one said with a frown. Arlong, who had been silent this entire time, grinned.

"Your navigator, huh? Sorry, but I don't recall making a Whitebeard navigator cry." Arlong said, still sitting amongst the rubble of the wall he'd crashed into.

"I'm not a Whitebeard Pirate anymore. I'm starting my own crew, and Namis our navigator." Luffy explained, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I see... You were after Nami from the very start." Arlong muttered, his eyes scanning over the four pirates in front of him.

"But... I think you have your information wrong. Nami is my navigator, not some former Whitebeard Pirates navigator. What can you four inferior creatures possibly do, anyhow?!" Arlong demanded. Having heard enough, the octopus Fishman stalked over to them.

"Fool! You're not worth Arlongs time! He'll be more than enough!" He exclaimed, turning to look at the water beside them and using his elongated mouth as a horn, calling for something. The ground beneath them began shaking as whatever the Fishman had called made its way to them.

"What the... What the... What's going on?!" Usopp asked, very clearly freaking out. The waves began moving turbulently as the power of whatever was coming shook them all. Where Arlong sat, rocks began falling due to the shaking ground.

"The whole lot of you will be food for him! Come out, Momoo!" At the Fishmans words, a whirlpool formed in the water before 'Momoo' began rising from it.

"A-a monster! It's the Grand Line monster that destroyed the town of Gosa!" Usopp shrieked, eyes bugging out from behind his goggles that he had put on.

As the water fell from the large creature and began settling back down, they all saw a large sea cow with a bump on its head and tears in its eyes crying.

"It's here!" Despite the sea cow looking a little worse for wear, Usopp was still terrified by it. Sanji and Luffy, however, were not.

"Oh, it's him?" Luffy asked as he turned to look at Momoo who was staring back with wide, terrified eyes.

"He's a friend of the fishmen?" Sanji asked next. The cow's tears began falling faster as he remembered the two of them beating him up. Knowing he couldn't do anything against them, Momoo turned and began swimming away.

"Wait! Momoo! Where are you going?! Hey! Stop! Get back here! Momoo!" The octopus Fishman shouted after the sea cow, flailing his six arms at him. A spike in rage from Arlong had Luffy turning to look back at the sitting Fishman, only to see him glaring fiercely in Momoos direction.

"Momoo. What are you doing?" He asked menacingly. The sea cow immediately froze in fear, eyes blown open wide and sweating.

"Though, if you wanna run away, I won't stop you. Understand, Momoo?" Arlong continued with a vicious grin, still radiating anger. At once, the cow's demeanor changed from fearful to angry determination. Turning around, Momoo reared his body out of the water and opened his mouth, showing them all his long sharp teeth.

"It's coming! It's coming!" Usopp screeched in terror, waving his hands in a vain attempt at stopping the advancing monster.

"Alright!"

"Follow after Momoo!" The fishmen announced as they pulled out their weapons.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Usopp repeated over and over. Meanwhile, Zoro was pulling out his sword, and Sanji was grinning, both of them unafraid of Momoo.

"I'll do it! This is a waste of time!" Luffy told them, stomping his feet into the concrete ground, leaving him immobilized. He began twisting his body his body up in preparation and once he deemed himself twisted enough he stretched his arms out to grab Momoo by the horns. Seeing this, the advancing fishmen stopped in their advances, eyes widening.

"What's he planning this time?" Sanji asked from where he watched.

"Nothing good," Zoro answered knowingly.

"H-his arms stretched!" A Fishman said in surprise.

"So the Marines were right. He has a devil fruit." Arlong muttered to himself.

"What?!"

"Who cares!"

"Go!" Still overconfident in themselves, the fishmen began moving once more towards the immobile Luffy. What concerned Zoro and Sanji wasn't the fact that Luffy looked as if he was going to be attacked, rather it looked like Luffy was preparing his own attack.

"Woah! Run!" Zoro yelled to Sanji.

"What's he doing?!" The chef asked, his visible eye widening.

"I dunno, but it doesn't look good!" Zoro answered before running off with Sanji.

"Gum Gum... Pinwheel!" Luffy shouted, untwisting his body and bringing Momoo along with him. Using the giant sea monster, Luffy spun him around into the nearby fishmen, knocking them all down until finally, he flung Momoo off into the water.

"I didn't come here to take on these guys! The one I wanna beat up... is you!" Luffy shouted, turning to point at Arlong. The man, still seething in rage, grinned.

"That's perfect, then. I was just thinking of killing you now." Arlong growled out.

"That was dangerous, you!" Sanji barked, kicking Luffy lightly in the head as he reprimanded him.

"Are you trying to kill us too?!" Usopp yelled next, still terrified.

"Huh?" Luffy said to himself, slowly swaying his body back and forth, his feet still stuck firmly in the ground.

"What are you doing?!" Usopp shouted.

"How dare you hurt our brothers!"

"It would seem we need to fight, too."

"Looks like we need to teach them the difference between our species." The three Luffy had met on the road said. Seeing this, Zoro grinned.

"The main forces finally show up, huh?" The swordsman said eagerly while Usopp slowly backed away.

"Arlong-san. Please stay there quietly."

"If you go on a mad rampage, you'll tear all of Arlong Park into pieces."

"We'll take care of these guys!" They said one after another, working themselves up.

"Yeah. Do as you wish." Arlong said with a smile of his own, relaxing in the rubble as he watched.

"Hey. Hey, there. There's something I-" Luffy was cut off when the octopus Fishman began making another loud noise.

"That octopus is up to something." Zoro noticed, his attention leaving Luffy and turning to the fishmen.

"Octopus is best with a little salt and sliced up. Add some olive oil and paprika and it's a perfect snack while drinking." Sanji told them with a grin of his own. Luffy, meanwhile, was waving his hand at the two.

"Hey, I'm kind of in trouble. Hear me out." Luffy said again, trying to get their attention.

"Take this! Zero vision! Hachi Ink-Jet!" The octopus shouted before spewing out black ink right towards the three. Zoro and Sanji immediately jumped out of the way, but Luffy, unable to move, bent as far back as he could. It wasn't enough though, and the ink got all over his face and clothes.

"You idiot! Why didn't you dodge?!" Zoro asked from the ground.

"I can't see!" Luffy shouted, trying to get the ink off his face.

"Now to finish you off!" The octopus said as he moved to pick up a large piece of rubble the size of a small house.

"Oi, Luffy! Run!" Usopp shouted from where he was hiding behind a pillar.

"Yeah, that's the problem. I can't seem to move!" Luffy told them, struggling to pull his feet out of the ground. Sure, he had plenty of strength to put them into the ground, but whenever he tried using that strength to pull them out, his legs stretched.

"Huh?" Sanji deadpanned.

"My feet are stuck!" Luffy reiterated, unable to see and unable to move. Thankfully, he didn't need his eyes to 'see' though, and his haki let him know of the advancing Fishman getting closer with the large rubble.

"You're the one who stuck them in the ground!" Usopp yelled fearfully, thinking this was going to be it for Luffy.

"Why does he have to be so-" Zoro, who was face palming, couldn't even finish his own sentence.

"Hachi Ink Jet on the Rocks!" With that announcement, the Fishman slammed the rubble down onto Luffy, only for it to split in half.

"What a pain," Sanji muttered, leg still in the air from having kicked the rubble in two.

"Sanji! Great! Great!" Luffy praised, arms in the air as he cheered.

"Seems I've wound up following one hell of an idiot Captain," Sanji noted with a smile.

"Agreed," Zoro said next.

"He's... awesome!" Usopp shouted in awe from where he was safely watching.

"But he's 100 times better than a damn gang that'd hurt a lady." Sanji continued, thinking about Nami again.

"Lady? To think you'd bust in here just for that one lousy girl. You really know how to make us laugh!"The Fishman with the large pointed elbows said.

"Lousy girl? Just try and insult Nami-san one more time. I'll use a buttered frying pan to turn you into Meunier, Fish Man!" The chef said, taking his cigarette out of his mouth and pointing it towards the Fishman in question.

"You seem somewhat skilled for a human. Any sort of chivalry from a pirate is obviously half-hearted." The fish man taunted.

"Go ahead and see if my chivalry is half-hearted or not." Sanji taunted right back, placing the cigarette back in his mouth.

"I was raised by an unbeatable pirate for half my life." He continued, taking a drag of the cigarette and grinning at the Fishman.

"It appears you don't know the true level of the Fishman species." The Fishman said, moving into a stance that indicated he'd be fighting Sanji without weapons.

While the two were talking, Usopp had moved towards Luffy and was now attempting to pull his Captain out of the ground, only to have the same problem Luffy had had when the teen only stretched.

"They're really stuck," Luffy said, unfazed by this.

"Still? They're still stuck?!" Usopp asked, struggling to continue pulling Luffy.

"Yup, they're still stuck. I get the feeling just pulling me won't get them unstuck." Luffy said with a blank expression.

"Are you even trying?! Are you even trying to pull your legs out?!" Usopp barked in Luffys ear.

"What're they playing around in Arlong Park for? I'll kill them!" The octopus Fishman said, picking up one of the halves of the rubble from before, aiming right for Usopp and Luffy. Seeing this, the sniper screamed in fear, running and pulling Luffy with him.

"Hey, you! Get unstuck already!" Usopp shouted fearfully as he ran, Luffy under his arm.

"Get back here!" The Fishman yelled.

"Hey, octopus. They're busy right now. I'll take you on." Zoro said, pointing his sheathed sword to the Fishman.

"Roronoa Zoro! Yeah! I forgot! How dare you trick me!" He shouted, throwing the rubble down at Zoro. The swordsman quickly jumped out of the way, watching as the stone crumbled on the ground.

"Yeah! And you cut down tons of my brothers!" The Fishman continued, turning to face Zoro where he was landing.

"I'm not interested in these old stories. It doesn't matter what reasons you have for wanting to kill me. The situations changed now! You're not trying to destroy us. We're trying to destroy you!" As he spoke, Zoro unsheathed his sword, grinning in anticipation of a fight.

"A-alright, Zoro! The octopus is all yours! Nice!" Usopp praised from where he was standing, rubbing his sweating forehead with one arm and holding Luffy with the other. Not thinking, though, he used the arm holding Luffy to give Zoro a thumbs up, meaning Luffy went snapping back towards his feet.

"Luffy!" Usopp screeched, watching as his Captain flew away from him and right towards the last remaining Fishman. Said Fishman only had a second to look over and see Luffy coming his way before the rubber teen barreled into him, sending him flying into the wall like Arlong.

"I'm back..." Luffy noted, his body swinging back and forth as he steadied himself again.

"Why, you..." The Fishman who was now sitting up glared in Luffy and Usopp's direction.

"My bad..." Usopp cried, tears streaming down his face.

"Seems you really do want me to kill you." It took all of two seconds for Usopp to react when he saw the Fishman getting up, and just as fast as he realized it, he was running away. He screamed in terror as he ran through the watching crowd, and Luffy watched as the Fishman he'd accidentally knocked down ran after him.

Luffy watched proudly when Usopp distracted the Fishman from the people of Cocoyashi, instead goading the man to follow after him by hitting him in the face with an exploding star.

"You're all pathetic. Move. I'm sick of watching this." Arlong ordered as he stood up.

"Arlong-san! We asked you not to go on a rampage!" The Fishman with Sanji said.

"I won't. I just thought up a fun game." Arlong said, walking slowly forward and still grinning menacingly.

"Game?" The octopus asked.

"Game? I'm gonna beat you up!" Luffy yelled, pulling back his fist and sending it flying towards Arlong. The Fishman dodged it, grabbing Luffys arm before it could snap back to his body.

"Do you really think you can beat us?" Arlong taunted confidently.

"So what if we do?" Sanji asked.

"We do, stupid-head! Let go!" Luffy shouted, trying to pull his arm back.

"Sounds like he has something to say." Zoro noticed. They all watched as Arlong shoved his hand into the ground near Luffys feet, pulling the entire stone out from the ground and holding Luffy- still stuck in the stone- in the air.

"People with devil fruit powers can't swim! Though, even people without powers would sink in this situation!" Arlong laughed, looking up at Luffy, his murderous intent clear as day even without haki.

"He's gonna throw him into the sea?!" Zoro asked, beginning to freak out now.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Even though the dunk in the sea was imminent, Luffy didn't think about that as he shot out his free arm, punching towards Arlongs face. His haki yelled at him instantly, and without dwelling on it, the rubber teen coated his arm in armament haki. It was just in time, because Arlong opened his mouth, chomping down on Luffys now protected arm.

When his teeth met the almost steely coating, they began crumbling from the force he'd used on them and Luffy was able to pull his arm back.

"Ah! What the-?!" In his surprised stupor, Arlong dropped Luffy to the ground, the stone crumbling away from his feet as a result and freeing him.

"Phew! I really didn't want to go in the water." Luffy said, wiping his clothes off which were still covered in ink.

"Then stop getting yourself stuck!" Zoro and Sanji barked angrily, Luffy feeling that their anger came from their worry.

"Shishishi, sorry!" He apologized, not sounding sorry in the least.

"Damn you!" Arlong growled, pulling out what remained of his teeth. They all watched in morbid fascination as the now toothless Arlong began to grow teeth again, an enraged look on his face.

"Do you know what the terrifying difference between you and me is?" Arlong asked.

"Nose? Jaw? I'm stronger and you're weaker? Webs!" Luffy said, pointing to the inbetween of his fingers where Arlong had webs and he did not. Around him, everyone blinked, wondering if he was joking or not.

"Species!" With a spike in rage, Arlong opened his jaw and attempted biting Luffy, which the teen allowed.

"Luffy!" Zoro and Sanji screamed, wondering why he hadn't dodged, but once they saw Arlong recoiling again they realized there was nothing to be worried about. They all watched as the skin Arlong had bit, Luffys neck, was covered in a shiny black covering that slowly disappeared.

"What in the..." Sanji asked with wide eyes, not knowing what had happened.

"That won't work," Luffy said, stating the obvious for the Fishman who had regrown yet another set of teeth.

"I don't care how strong you think you are. I've known plenty of fishmen, and all of them were much stronger than you were. One of my brothers is a Fishman, and that's why I know beating you right now won't be a problem." Luffy said with a grin, irritating Arlong.

"Why? Because you could beat him?" He growled. Luffys grin widened.

"Nope. Never could. I know I can beat you because Namur always said fishmen who think they're stronger because they were born stronger never are." Luffy said, lowering into a fighting stance.

With a guttural growl, Arlong charged forward again, but seemed to think better of biting Luffy and instead went for a punch that Luffy easily dodged. At once, the fight commenced. Zoro took on the octopus Fishman while Sanji took on the one with the sharp elbows and Luffy had Arlong.

Luffy continued dodging Arlongs attacks with practiced ease until he was up against a pillar. Ducking under another punch, Arlong destroyed the pillar, pleasing himself.

"This is the inherent power of a Fishman, someone you claim to be weak in comparison to yourself." Arlong bragged as he turned to look at Luffy who'd ducked out of the way.

"Heaven discriminated against you humans and made you powerless creatures that bow before fishmen. You humans are inferior creatures. We were on a different level from the moment we were born. I'll show you... the real difference between you and me..." Arlong boasted.

"Yeah, why don't you... No way I'll lose against a Fishman like you. I am the man who'll be King of the Pirates!" Luffy shouted, shocking everyone listening. He noticed that he smelled Nami, seeing the redhead standing at the front of the crowd with wide eyes, his straw hat still on her head. Within seconds of her returning, a bloodied Usopp returned as well, obviously having been victorious in his fight.

"King of the Pirates? Don't make me laugh. Can you inferior humans do something like crushing a pillar with your teeth?" Arlong asked, picking up a stone from the ground and tossing it in the air as he spoke.

"So what?! Stop bragging over stuff like that!" Luffy yelled, punching one of the pillars beside him and crumbling it like Arlong had done.

"It's not like biting is the only way to break stone," Luffy told him, holding his fist in the air, ready to fight.

"Alright, Luffy-Aniki! You sure told him!"

"That's right! The outcome is the same!" Johnny and Yosaku praised from the crowd.

"Th-That's beside the point! A stupid and weak species... that's what humans are. What can you do when you can't even swim in water?!" Arlong asked before charging again, beginning another onslaught of attacks. Luffy dodged them, stretching his arms out and grabbing two swords lying on the ground.

"Nothing! That's why I need help!" Luffy laughed, smiling as he held the two swords in front of himself. Zoro and Sanji, who were in the midst of fighting, noticed this.

"Huh? Can he also use swords?" Sanji asked.

"I don't know," Zoro said with a shrug, ducking under one of his opponent's swords.

It seemed Luffy didn't know, though, as he began wildly swinging the two swords at Arlong, missing every time.

"What're you doing? It looks like you're just swinging swords around." Arlong laughed, using his nose to block a sword, breaking it.

"If you're just playing around, I'm not going to join your little game," Arlong warned, but Luffy ignored him, swinging his last sword like a club. It had no effect as Arlong bit it, breaking it like he'd done the other.

"Enough of this nonsense..." Arlong said with a grin, clearly thinking he had the upper hand.

"Clench your teeth!" Luffy warned, clenching his fists. Arlong barely had time to do just that when Luffy punched him in the jaw again, the same spot he had before. As Arlong fell to the ground, his teeth shattered once more.

"I don't know how to use swords, you bastard!" Luffy shouted at him.

"Huh? What's he saying that now for?" Usopp asked from where he watched beside Nami.

"I don't know how to sail the oceans. I can't cook... I can't lie either..." Luffy continued.

"Oi..." Usopp said in offense, but he was ignored.

"I'm confident that I can't live without help!" Luffy shouted to the Fishman.

"Fully admitting how pathetic you are... You sure are honest. I bet your crew is bothered by having such an incompetent Captain like you. I wonder why your crew tried so desperately to keep you safe... Someone like you without any pride has the caliber to be a captain? What on Earth can you do?" Arlong asked as he replaced his teeth for the third time.

"I can defeat you!" Luffy announced loudly. Behind him, the crowd began cheering, supporting him, but Luffy ignored it.

"Go ahead and babble, you inferior species! I'm a shark. New teeth grow one after another. And they're stronger than the previous ones. So go ahead and keep knocking them out. As many times as needed..." Arlong said, pulling out his own teeth now and letting them regrow.

"As many times as needed... This is a distinctive quality that heaven gave us. Are you starting to realize what a superior species the fishmen are?" Arlong asked, now holding two sets of his own teeth in his hands, a new pair already regrown in his mouth.

"Tooth Attack!" Arlong shouted, before using the teeth in his hands to attack Luffy. It wasn't a problem, however, because like before Luffy used haki to coat his skin, breaking the teeth.

"You may be able to keep growing teeth, but I can keep breaking them. I told you before, it's useless." Luffy said, watching as Arlong grew frustrated at his attack being nullified.

"What is this?! A rubber body, yet my sharp teeth don't even puncture the skin?" Arlong asked, letting his now broken teeth fall out of his hands.

"That doesn't matter. What does is your distinctive quality is powerless against me. I told you from the start, I'm gonna beat you up." Luffy said, grinning maniacally to Arlong. He was satisfied when he felt all the confidence from Arlong diminish slightly, a small spark of fear finally taking hold.

"Gum Gum Whip!" Luffy shouted, swinging his foot into Arlongs side and sending him flying into his building. Luffy watched as Arlong disappeared inside, not bothering to follow since he could feel that the Fishman wasn't unconscious yet and was still seething in anger. Around him, Sanji and Zoro were finishing up their fights, the two having won with only minor injuries.

"Did you beat Arlong yet, or what?" Zoro asked, panting from exertion.

"Nah, he's still awake. I think he's just lazy." Luffy said, wondering what was taking the Fishman so long.

"Lazy?" Arlongs growl asked as he finally stepped out from the building. When he was back outside, his eyes took in the scene of the two downed Fishman, leaving only Arlong.

"Chew, then Hatchi, and finally Kuroobi. All of my brothers." Arlong growled lowly, eyes becoming bloodshot with his rage. Without looking, Arlong smashed his hand through the wall beside him, pulling something out.

"What the heck is that?" Luffy asked.

"Kiribachi..." Nami uttered in stunned fear. She moved a hand to her mouth, eyes wide as she took in the giant sword-like saw.

Not saying anything, Arlong readied a swing, but before it could hit Luffy, the rubbery teen jumped up onto the roof of Arlong Park. Sanji and Zoro, not wanting to get him in the crossfire, made their way over to Nami and Usopp, watching from a safe distance with everyone else.

Like before, Arlong attacked with a fury, one after another, but Luffy continued to dodge them, remaining untouched as he slowly made his way up Arlong Park. Before he could climb up the roof of the highest point, he was forced to dodge quickly and as a result, fell into the room.

"You can no longer jump. You can no longer escape. This is the top floor of Arlong Park. Looks like your final moment is finally here." Arlong said, grinning ferociously, eyes slitted with anger and still bloodshot.

"What's this room? Full of papers..." Luffy asked, not taking notice of the imminent danger he was in as he looked at the many large stacks of paper.

"These're not just ordinary papers. This is a room where I make that woman continue to draw sea charts. These're all sea charts that Nami drew. Aren't they great? They're my treasure, one that I made her draw for eight years. To us, getting data about the oceans is very simple, but it's a different story when we have to create sea charts based on it. We need a talented surveyor. That's why I had my eye on that woman." Arlong said, his greed nearly overriding his anger in that moment.

"She's good. She draws quite accurate sea charts. She's too good for you inferior humans. In the past as well as in the future, her talent should be used for us fishmen! Nami is our friend." Arlong continued greedily, smile widening.

"Friend?" Luffy asked, having surveyed the room while Arlong was speaking. He'd never felt anything but living creatures have emotions, (with the exception of that devil fruit) but being in this room, he could practically feel the pain and misery it held as if it was a person.

"So don't interfere anymore... you damn demon kid!" The Fishman said, holding his saw out at Luffys face.

"What's that look in your eyes?" Arlong asked, noticing the glare Luffy was sending his way.

"She is... Nami is... our navigator!" Luffy said firmly, glare hardening.

"You plan to make her the navigator of some shabby boat? You'd only end up wasting her talent. Just look! How many people in this world can draw such accurate charts? The girl has a gift." As Arlong continued talking, Luffy noticed a pen falling to the ground and stretched out his hand to grab it, flipping it over in his hands.

"There's nothing as unfortunate and foolish as letting a natural-born talent go to waste. Staying here and drawing sea charts is the greatest happiness for her!" Luffy knew the fish man's words were lies. Ever since he'd met Nami, she'd felt nothing but constant fear and anxiety. Sure, sometimes that had been because of him, but it had always been there, even when she had started warming up to him. He knew that the last place she would want to be was back in this room.

"This pen is stained with blood..." Luffy said in a low voice, but was ignored.

"Namis sea charts are absolutely vital if I'm to attain world supremacy!" The saw Arlong held was moved so that Luffy neck was in between two of its blades, but still Luffy didn't move. His head was down, expression shadowed by his hair as he continued looking at the bloody pen.

"She's going to continue drawing sea charts! For my ambition! And once her charts give me full knowledge of all the world's seas... we fishmen will be invincible, and the world will become our empire! Our first stepping stone is this island... and the East Blue! Could you use the girl as efficiently as that?!" Luffys grip on the pen tightened momentarily before he carefully put it down.

Arlongs words reminded him far too much of the doctors back in the facility, all feeling as if they owned the lives of the children they'd stolen. The arrogance and pompousness irritated Luffy beyond words and he was only just barely able to control his rage as he grabbed one of Arlongs saws spiked, holding it in place. He could feel Arlong try to move it, but it didn't budge an inch.

Without warning, the blade Luffy held shattered into pieces, shocking the Fishman.

" _Use?!_ What do you take her for?!" Luffy demanded, raising his head to show Arlong his enraged features. The Fishman very nearly stumbled back from the intensity of the glare he was receiving, but steeled himself.

"An inferior creature, but a smart girl. If all other humans are sewer rats, I'd say she's a cheeky-as-hell cat. After all, she is adorable. And I'm going to keep on feeding her and buying clothes she likes. She'll have everything she needs to live. All she needs to do is keep drawing charts for me. She will forever be my tool... no, my friend." Arlong said, his tone low and dangerous.

Finally, Luffy had had it. The more Arlong spoke, the more he sounded like the doctors, and it was all just too much.

Without warning, Luffy kicked the nearby desk through the wall, sending it flying down to the ground below. Without wasting another second, Luffy moved onto the bookcases next, kicking those outside as well.

"What do you think you're doing?!" One after another, Luffy sent furniture item after furniture item flying out of the room. This place may not look like a cell. It may have nice furniture, windows, and heat, but a cell is a cell whether it's dolled up or not. Luffy knew if he could, he would destroy his own cell from all that time ago, and destroying Namis now was a bit cathartic for him.

"Stop it!" Arlong roared, swinging his Kiribachi at Luffy, only for the teen to dodge. As a result, Arlong sliced a stack of charts in half, making his angered eyes widen in shock.

"The charts!" He gasped. Seeing that the Fishman was preoccupied, Luffy took the chance to knock stacks upon stacks of the paper out of the room.

"M-my charts! Damn you! I spent eight years making her draw those!" Arlong roared, trying to grab Luffy only to miss again.

"I invested eight years in those charts! In my ambition!" Now that the room was empty, Luffy finally stopped dodging and stood face to face with Arlong. Fist held tightly, Luffy let his arm stretch out behind him, channeling all of his rage into it.

"You've gone too far, 11097!" Arlong roared, raising his Kiribachi.

"Fishmen are great and sea charts this and circumstances that... I don't know much about that stuff... But I finally figured out how to save her! She can't go because this room is here! If she doesn't want to be here, then I'll just destroy it all! And you with it!" Luffy shouted, sending his fist forward and getting another good punch in on Arlong, dodging the saw as it swung down towards him. Before Arlong could get up to retaliate, Luffy kicked his foot into the air, letting it smash through the roof and continue high into the sky.

"Gum Gum..."

"Don't get cocky! Arlong Park can't ever be brought down by you inferior beings!"

"Battle Axe!" Slamming his foot down, Luffy hit Arlong in the chest, pushing him down floor after floor through Arlong Park and leaving him in a crater at the very bottom. With that, the Fishmans emotions muted and Luffy knew he had won.

He didn't have a chance to celebrate his victory however, because the building suddenly began shaking, stone, and wood falling as it became unstable.

Luffy wasn't worried though and let himself get caught up in the destruction. Rocks and wood fell on him, but it had no effect. He felt himself falling, felt the rubble settling around him, and once the loud commotion was finally gone, he could hear the silence outside. With the building done falling, Luffy stood from the debris, ink still covering his face and clothes and now dusty and dirty from the building crashing down, yet he had not a scratch on him.

"Luffy!"

"Big Bro!" He heard the cheers from the crowd, but he couldn't move to respond yet, still trying to calm down from the rage he had felt.

"Nami!" He finally yelled, everyone silencing.

"You're my nakama!" At his words, he could feel the stunned surprise in them all. Nami's emotions flooded over to him, her gratitude, her happiness, and her awe.

"H-He won..."

"He won!"

_"Arlong Park has fallen!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And would you look at that, another enemy bites the dust! The next chapter will be wrap-up for Arlong Park and then we'll be moving into Loguetown and then, even more excitingly, the Grand Line. As I've said before, the Grand Line is where we start to see more and more changes to canon start to happen. It won't be drastic things at the start, but you'll definitely know them when you see them. I can't wait for you all to see what's in store!
> 
> In other news, I'm officially half-way through this college semester! Woo! Writing this story while keeping up with college may be time-consuming and sometimes even a little stressful, but I truly love writing this and every time I sit down to work on this story it always makes my day ten times better. With how long this story is going to turn out to be, it's definitely a blessing that I still love writing it as much as I do.
> 
> And as always, thank you all for your support! You all are definitely a big component to my motivation, and without you guys I don't know if I would be so excited to get new chapters out every two weeks! So thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
> 
> I hope you all have a fantastic two weeks!


	18. Leaving Conomi Island

"He did it!"

"11097 won!"

"Arlong Park has fallen!" Luffy hadn't expected it, but he wasn't stopping it either as the townspeople all rushed over to him, tossing him in the air as they cheered on his victory. He laughed loudly, smiling his D smile as he did and let them throw him over and over.

It wasn't until they accidentally dropped him that the cheering stopped, but when Luffy laughed it off, they calmed down and smiled along with him.

"This is awesome!" Luffy laughed cheerfully, only to be surprised when something was pushed onto his head. He immediately recognized it as his straw hat, and at the same time as he realized that the smell of tangerines and money drifted to his nose.

"Nami!" He said, smiling widely again as he turned his head to look at her. She was smiling shakily right back at him, and he took the time to stand back up in front of her, the two of them high-fiving and laughing.

"Hold it right there, you!" Looking over, the smile on everyone's faces dropped when they saw a group of Marines, the same ones Luffy had seen Pinwheel Man walking with earlier, standing where the gates to Arlong Park used to be.

"He's...!"

"What a lucky day today is! Well done, 11097. I watched the entire fight. What a Whitebeard Pirate had against Arlong, I don't know, but that doesn't matter. However, thanks to you all the money I was to give Arlong and all the money and valuables stored in Arlong Park is now mine! Everyone drop your weapons! I, Colonel Nezumi of the Navy Branch #16, hereby take credit for what you've done here!" Nezumi announced, only to shriek in surprise when the back of his collar was pulled.

"Zoro!" Usopp yelled, seeing that the swordsman was the one holding the Marine.

"Don't ruin people's fun when they're finally happy!" Zoro said threateningly, glaring at the marine. Within seconds, the group of Marines were down on the ground, twitching in pain.

"J-Just you try laying a finger on me! Whitebeards or not, you'll be sorry!" Nezumi coughed out painfully.

"He's still sayin' it?" Sanji asked incredulously, rubbing his head. As he did, Nami walked over to Nezumi, crouching beside him.

"This is for shooting Nojiko and tearing up Bellemere-sans tangerine orchard." She said softly to him.

"Huh?" Nezumi couldn't even blink before Nami slammed her bo staff into his head sending him flying into the water.

"Thanks, Nami, that felt good!" Nojiko said with a wink.

"Give 'im 1000 more of those!" Pinwheel man shouted. When Nezumi pulled himself out of the water, Nami was quick to grab onto the whiskers on the man's face, pulling them.

"You guys are gonna clean up after those fishmen now! And you're gonna help rebuild the town of Gosa! And you're not gonna touch any money or valuables in Arlong Park! That's the island's money! Got it?!" She demanded, continuing to tug on the whiskers.

"Ow! Ow! I-I'll do what you say!" He said hastily, wanting the pain to stop.

"And one other thing! Give me my money back!" She demanded further, an angry look on her face.

"I'll give it back! I'll give it back! I don't care anymore..." He agreed.

"Anything you'd like to add, Luffy?" She asked the straw-hatted teen.

"Mm... Oh, I'm not apart of the Whitebeards anymore, so stop saying that!" Luffy said, pouting slightly at the fact that he had to keep saying it. He was looking forward to the day when people would recognize him as his own Captain rather than a Whitebeard. Not that there was anything wrong with being a Whitebeard, but he wasn't one anymore.

"O-Ok! Ok, I get it!" Nezumi cried, tears streaming down his face. Satisfied, Nami let him go and the marine began swimming away as fast as he could.

"I'll get you one day pirates! 11097, you're the Captain, right?! Don't forget this! Some major stuffs gonna happen to you now! You've made me mad! It's too late to regret what you've done! I'm gonna get revenge on you! Just you wait and see!" Nezumi shouted from the distance.

"Says some major stuffs gonna happen now," Sanji noted, standing beside Luffy.

"How does he know I'm gonna be King of the Pirates?" Luffy asked in confusion. He didn't think he'd told him about that. Was that something all the Marines knew about?

"That's not what he means! Man, you're stupid!" Zoro chastised from his other side.

"H-Hey, what do we do?! What if we really do wind up in big trouble?! Hey! Hey! Hey, I said!" Usopp shouted from beside Zoro, pointing to the Marine who was a mere speck in the distance.

"So what. Marines are already after me." Luffy said with a shrug. At his words, Usopp slumped in defeat.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"We're free!"

"Free!"

"Everyone! Celebrate! Dance! Arlong Park has fallen!"

"We've lived these past eight years for this! We've lived so we can smile today!"

"We're gonna party 'til we drop, even into tomorrow and the day after!" And party they did. All around him, Luffy felt nothing but happiness, gratitude, excitement, and best of all, freedom. No one had any of their fear or anxieties from before. No one was sad, or scared, or tense, or worried. Everywhere he looked, every person he passed, was finally free, and the smile on Luffys face couldn't possibly get any bigger.

He knew all too well how freeing it felt to no longer be held captive by someone.

Amongst the happy feelings, Luffys nose reminded him of the delicious food also surrounding him and his mouth immediately watered. Following said nose, he found a table full of food and wasted no time in digging in.

As he ate, he felt the muffled feeling of pain, and his eyes drifted to the doctor's house where Zoro was being treated. After the doctor had seen the injury from Mihawk, he'd ordered Zoro to get treatment along with Sanji and Usopp. All three of them had gotten wounds from the battle, but where Sanji and Usopp only needed to clean and bandage their smaller wounds, Zoro needed the large gash on his chest to be stitched.

The doctor had attempted having Luffy checked over as well, but the Captain had vehemently refused, not liking the white coat that the old man wore or the reek of medicine. He'd gotten better about being around doctors, and he knew this doctor was good, they'd helped Namis sister, and Nami liked him, but he couldn't help that his instincts were yelling at him to keep the man away.

Luckily, he'd managed to avoid a check-up seeing as he hadn't been hurt in his battle, and the doctor took Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp without him. He was making sure to monitor them closely, make sure that they were alright, but he couldn't stop the nagging in his head telling him he should be there to make sure with his own eyes.

So, regrettably, he left the table of food- making sure to snag a leg of meat as he did- and headed to the doctor's house. He went around the building, hearing Zoros pained noises coming from an open window, and looked inside. Usopp and Sanji were already out of the building, Luffy could see them waiting down the road, but Johnny, Yosaku, and Zoro were still inside. The two former were sleeping while Zoro was in the bed beneath the window, teeth clenched as the doctor stitched him up.

"Honestly! Are you folks really pirates?! Don't you even have a ship doctor?!" The old man asked Zoro as he worked.

"Nope, but we need one," Luffy replied from the window, leaning against it as he peered inside. It was easier to stand outside rather than going into the building, his nose already burning from the strong smells.

"Luffy?" Zoro asked, not having realized his Captain was there.

"But a musician comes first. right, Zoro?" The teen asked, eating the meat he'd brought with him as he did.

"Whys that?!" The swordsman questioned, not understanding.

"Pirates sing, you know?" Luffy answered as if it were obvious.

"So why does that come first?!" Zoro pushed, growing irritated. Luffy ignored the question though, instead turning to look at the doctor.

"Hey, Doctor. Wheres Nami? She doesn't seem to be here." Luffy said. Even though he could smell her nearby, he didn't see her at the party. He knew he could just follow the scent and find her that way, but he wasn't sure if she was still scared of his abilities or not so he was still trying to avoid using them, or at least mentioning them, around her.

"Nami, huh. If you can't find her around, then she's probably _there_." Even though Luffy didn't know where 'there' was, he didn't push it when he felt the doctors suddenly somber emotions. Wherever this 'there' was, it was probably serious or important to Nami.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

By the third day, it didn't seem that the party was going to stop anytime soon. Drinks were still being poured, food was still being feasted on, and music was still being played. People danced, laughed, cried, for all three days, their gratitude and happiness flowing right out of them and into Luffy.

The young Captain was having a field day, the good emotions being the cherry on top of it all as he ate to his stomachs content. He laughed along with the townspeople, ate all the food he could ever want, and danced foolishly with some of the children. It almost reminded him of the parties that the Whitebeards would throw and it made him nostalgic for the place he'd come to call home the last few years.

He definitely needed his own musician ASAP.

He'd seen Nami around occasionally, but with all the chaos of the partying, it had only ever been for a few minutes before she was leaving and going off somewhere.

Now, it was dark out, the party having raged on all morning and now going into the night. Luffy was grabbing as much meat as he could while following his nose to where Sanji was, a goal in mind and determination driving him forward.

"Hey, Sanji! That melon you just had! Was there something on it?!" Luffy asked as he barreled around a corner to look in-between two houses where both Sanji and Zoro sat. He had a leg of meat in his mouth and one in each hand as he addressed the chef, eyes wild with the need to know about the delicious food he'd seen and smelled.

"What's with the meat in your hands?! Sure was. It's 'raw ham melon,' so there was raw ham on it." Sanji explained after addressing the meat Luffy had.

"Raw ham melon?! That sounds yummy! Where did you get it?!" Luffy demanded, leaning towards the blonde urgently.

"Dunno. The whole village is a buffet party, so I dunno where I got it..." Sanji hadn't even finished his sentence before Luffy had run off in his search for the mysterious meat. With all the food smells and people, Luffy wasn't able to easily pick up the smell he could remember from when he saw Sanji.

He ran around aimlessly, grabbing more meat as he passed it, in search of the food, but no matter how hard he searched, the elusive food was nowhere to be found.

"Raw ham melon!" Luffy roared as he ran up a hill. It was then he realized he'd strayed too far from the party.

"Huh? There's no food around here. That's no good. Time to go back." He muttered to himself, turning to leave.

"Hold it, boy!" A shout clued him into the fact that he wasn't alone, and turning his head he saw Pinwheel Man standing in front of a cross near the cliff's edge. He hadn't realized in his haste for the raw ham melon where he was, but now that he did he realized he smelled that Nami had been here a lot. The scent was dulled, telling him she hadn't been here all that recently, but this was probably where she'd been the last few days instead.

"A grave? Did someone die?" Luffy asked when he saw the cross in front of Pinwheel Man.

"Yeah. A long time ago." The man said, taking a swig from his bottle as he did, tone somber now.

"Oh, my deepest conveniences. Huh? Deepest concussions. No, Deepest compli-"

"Deepest condolences."

"That." Luffy agreed. Even though Sabo had taught him about what to say in situations like this, the correct wording just escaped him.

"Hey, boy. Nami is going to ride your ship. She's going to be a pirate. It'll be a dangerous journey. That's fine. There's no way around that. But, if you guys ever do anything to take away Namis smile... I will come kill you!" Pinwheel man said, his conviction strong. Luffy knew the man meant his words as they were backed by his strong feelings of protectiveness. Regardless, Luffy had no intention of ever doing that, so he shrugged.

"Yeah. I'm not gonna take it away, though." He said casually. Pinwheel man spun around, face contorted in a mask of anger that was really only protectiveness.

"Got it?!" He reiterated sternly, Luffy gulping and nodding.

"I got it!" He repeated. The man calmed down after that, sitting cross-legged in front of the cross, and Luffy took that as his time to leave, yelling loudly about raw ham melon that he'd yet to find.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"This is the last of it?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright!"

After three full days of partying, it was finally time for the crew to leave. The townspeople were nice enough to give them supplies, but they may also just be because Nami was coming with them. Like before, they hadn't seen much of Nami that morning, but Luffy wasn't worried. He knew she would come. He could practically feel her excitement from the Merry.

"Are you finished loading it all?" Sanji asked Zoro as the swordsman climbed up onto the deck.

"Yeah!" Zoro answered, jumping over the railing.

"Now, then. We got lots of provisions now. We're good to go." Sanji said with a smile, taking the cigarette from his mouth.

"We were only here a few days, but this island's full of memories, huh?" Usopp asked as he set the last box of supplies down, smiling happily.

"Yeah!" Luffy laughed happily. While they were waiting for Nami to show up, they said their goodbyes to Johnny and Yosaku who were determined to continue their jobs as bounty hunters, the two of them standing amongst the townspeople.

"Well, we should get going, too!" Usopp cheered in determination.

"Hey! Hold on! What about Nami-san?!" Sanji asked.

"Maybe she's not coming?" Zoro muttered.

"W-why not?!" Sanji asked in devastation which was quick to turn into anger as he stalked over to Zoro.

"You! You made another pass at Nami-san again, didn't you?!" He demanded to know, hands in fists as he yelled at the swordsman.

"Why would I do that?" Zoro asked in confusion.

"No, you definitely did!" Sanji continued. Usopp, who was ignoring Sanjis yelling, thought to himself.

"Oh, yeah. She achieved her goal,-"

"You can't stand that me and Nami-san are all lovey-dovey!"

"And she has no reason to be a pirate,-"

"Are you an idiot?"

"What'd you call me?!"

"So she might be happier here." Usopp finished, still ignoring the yelling.

"What about my happiness?!" Sanji demanded, turning his rage to Usopp, and then Luffy.

"If Nami-san isn't on this boat then 98.72% of my reason for being on the boat is gone!" Sanji barked to Luffy now, the veins in his neck straining as he did. Luffy, unfazed by the yelling, pointed to Sanji accusingly.

"Hey, you! I couldn't find the raw ham melon anywhere!" He accused as if it was Sanjis fault.

Meanwhile, the crowd down at the docks was beginning to wonder where Nami was as well. They all muttered to themselves, speculating on where she could possibly be.

Luffy knew still that Nami was coming, he could feel and smell her getting closer, so it wasn't a surprise to him like it was to everyone else when she finally did show up.

"Nami!"

"Nami-san!"

"Nacchan!" Nami ignored everyone, standing determinedly at the edge of the crowd.

"Get the ship moving!" She shouted before breaking into a sprint.

"Huh? Shes started sprinting!" Usopp said as he watched alongside Sanji.

"She says to get the ship moving," Luffy said with a knowing smile, already walking off to do just that.

"Huh?" Usopp asked in confusion, wondering why they would leave when Nami wasn't on the boat. Zoro didn't question it though and began doing just that. Sanji and Usopp both looked to each other before shrugging and joining as well.

"Set the sails!" Luffy yelled, Usopp and Sanji doing so while Zoro raised the anchor.

"H-Hey!"

"They're setting sail!"

"Wait! We still haven't thanked you!"

"Stop Nacchan!"

"At least let us thank you!"

"Nacchan!"

"Nami, calm down!"

"Hold it! I won't allow you to leave like this!" Pinwheel man declared as he pushed his way towards Nami.

"Hey. Is it ok to let her leave like this?" Sanji asked, thinking back to his own tearful farewell, a sharp contrast to the one Nami was trying to have.

"Why not? It's her decision." Luffy said, continuing to watch Nami as she zig-zagged through the crowd, avoiding all the hands trying to stop her. Finally, she reached the edge of the dock and jumped, landing safely on the railing and then the deck. Once safely on board, she slowly lifted her shirt, letting all the purses and wallets fall out of it.

"She didn't!"

"Huh? My wallets gone!"

"Mine too!"

"Same here!"

"Take care, everyone!" Nami said with a grin as she kissed a beli bill.

"How dare you!"

"You damn brat!" The crowd all yelled angrily to the redhead, but she only laughed. Behind her Zoro and Usopp were both watching with pensive looks, knowing she hadn't changed from the greedy woman they knew her to be. From the lower deck, Sanji was praising her and Luffy was laughing loudly.

"You lousy sneak thief!"

"Get back here!"

"Give back our wallets!"

"You punk!"

"Come back anytime!"

"Take care of yourself!"

"We're grateful to you guys!"

"Boy!" Luffy, who was watching the island get smaller from the railing, looked to where he knew Pinwheel man had been standing.

"Don't forget our promise!" He called to him. Luffy didn't say anything, merely giving the man a thumbs-up as Nami waved to the disappearing island. Slowly, the yelling voices got quieter and quieter until they couldn't hear them anymore.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"Ack! I forgot!" Luffy suddenly yelled out loudly, surprising the rest of the crew. It had been about an hour since they'd left the Conomi Islands and all had been peaceful so far, so Luffys yell had scared some of them- namely Usopp and Nami.

"Forgot what?" Zoro asked, watching as Luffy ran across the deck.

"I gotta call Whiskey! She's gonna be so mad at me!" Luffy said, eyes wide in what the crew could see was panic.

"Whiskey? She? What did you do to this beautiful woman?!" Sanji asked, already glaring in preparation for being angry at Luffy. He may not even know who this Whiskey person was, but all women were gorgeous and deserved to be treated like angels, so to hear one was angry meant Luffy had done something wrong.

"Nothing! I forgot to tell her I got poisoned. She said that I have to call her about that stuff until I get my own doctor." Luffy explained, grabbing the mini den den that was still sitting on the barrel.

 _"Poisoned?!"_ Zoro, Usopp, and Nami shouted in disbelief, their eyes wide as they gawked at Luffy.

"Huh? Oh yeah, that Greed-"

"Krieg"

"Guy shot this weird poison smoke stuff at all the chefs when I was fighting him. I made sure Sanji and Gin had masks, but I didn't have one so I breathed it in." Luffy said, explaining the story quickly to them as he began dialing the number he needed.

"W-wha?! And you-! But you're-!" Usopp could only stutter nonsense as he continued looking over Luffy, not seeing anything wrong with him. With the number dialed and the snail ringing, Luffy finally took notice of the mass shock and worry coming from the three. Blinking, he looked at them and realized they didn't know he was resistant to poison.

"Oh, that's right, I didn't tell you. Poison doesn't affect me unless it's really deadly." Luffy said with a laugh, brushing off the seriousness of it.

"Doesn't affect you?! What do you mean-" Zoro was cut off as the snail stopped ringing, giving the telltale sound that someone had picked up. Immediately, everyone quieted, even Sanjis eyes widening as they realized who Luffy had just called.

The crew of the strongest man in the world.

"Whos this?" Like the last time he called, Luffy beamed the second he heard the familiar voice.

"Fossa! It's me!" Luffy answered cheerfully, smiling his D smile.

"Luffy! Calling again so soon? To be honest, I thought you wouldn't use this thing!" 'Fossa' replied just as cheerfully as Luffy had. The rest of the crew didn't quite know who this 'Fossa' was, but they knew he must be strong if he was on Whitebeards crew.

"Shishishi! I need to talk to Whiskey again." Luffy said, his D smile falling only slightly into a more relaxed smile.

"Whiskey? You're alright, right?" The man asked now, concern laced in his tone like Harutas had when he'd called before.

"Yup. I just breathed in some poison is all." Luffy said with a shrug as if it was a normal occurrence.

"It didn't hurt you?" Fossa continued to question, everyone hearing that he was walking as he did.

"Nope. I feel fine, but Whiskey said I have to call her about stuff like this until I get my own doctor." Luffy answered, saying the last part with a pout. Fossa laughed now, his concern gone.

"That you should! You know, Ace is gonna be pissed that the two times you called he wasn't around to say hi." Fossa noted as what sounded to be a door was opened.

"That's not my fault. Anyway, tell him I said hi. Oh, and that I'm fine. Oh, and stop getting hurt!" Luffy said indignantly. He hadn't watched Ace, Sabo, and Marcos waves as consistently as he had on the Moby, but during the party he'd checked in on them and saw Ace's wave flicker, growing a shade lighter. It was fine by morning, but it had still worried Luffy when he couldn't just walk to the Moby and see if his brother was alright.

"As if that'll make any difference. I'm with Whiskey now, so I'll talk to you later." He said, Luffy beaming again as he nodded.

"Mm. Talk to you later Fossa!" Luffy chirped back, a second of silence passing as Fossa no doubt handed the snail over.

Zoro and Sanji were still watching with wide eyes, unbelieving of what they were hearing, while Usopp and Nami were practically clinging to themselves. Even though they all knew Luffy had been apart of the Whitebeards, it was one thing to hear about it and another thing entirely to be faced with the proof that he actually had been. This time, the proof being that he was so casually speaking to the Emperors crew.

"Luffy?" A new voice, a woman's, asked. Despite his awe and disbelief, Sanji immediately snapped out of it at the sound of a woman's voice, eyes changing into hearts.

"Whiskey! Hi!" Luffy greeted, smiling widely again.

"I hope you're calling to tell me you found yourself a doctor, but for some reason, I don't think that's the case." She said with a knowing sigh, making Luffy laugh sheepishly now.

"No, no doctor yet. I was calling because I sort of... may have... inhaled poison gas." Luffy said, stalling as long as he could before just telling the nurse outright. It was almost too quiet on the other line and Luffy wondered briefly if they'd been disconnected. The muted feelings of irritation and worry told him they hadn't.

Finally, there were the sounds of a slow intake of breath and then the release of the breath.

"Alright. How long ago did this happen?" She asked, and again Luffy laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Uh, about.." He began counting on his fingers now, a deep look of concentration on his face.

"4 days ago? No, 5?" Luffy said, wondering if he'd counted correctly. With all that had happened, days had melted into each other and he had a tough time remembering exactly the amount of days.

"Days?! Luffy, I told you to call me immediately when stuff like this happens!" She said sternly, the young Captain knowing she was doing it out of worry for him.

"I did! Or, at least, I tried, but my den den was on my ship and my ship was at a different island so after my fight I had to go there, and then I fought this other guy and there was this loong~ party and then we set sail again today so now I'm calling you." Luffy explained in a bit of a rush.

Nami felt a bit guilty now, knowing that Luffy was getting in trouble because she'd stolen the Merry from him. She'd honestly forgotten about the snail though.

"Alright, alright, do you know what you inhaled?" Whiskey asked, much calmer now than she had been before, though slightly irritated.

"It was NZ2- wait, no... PT0? Uh... WK8. No that wasn't it either-"

"MH5," Sanji answered for him instead. His words were a bit shaky, because not only was he speaking to a Whitebeard, but this Whitebeard was also a woman.

"MH5? That gas is supposed to be pretty deadly, but people have survived if they were able to breathe some clean air afterward. Did you have any symptoms?" She asked Luffy.

"It burned for a second and it hurt my nose cause it was strong so I got a headache for a few seconds, but when it was gone I was fine," Luffy said with a shrug.

"And you haven't felt anything since? No headaches? Nausea? Nose bleeds?" She asked, to which Luffy shook his head.

"Nope! Everything's all good as far as I can tell." Luffy said with a cheery grin. It was a bit surreal to hear Luffy talk about being poisoned with a smile and the crew didn't know how to handle it quite yet. All they could do was stare dumbly as their new Captain talked about being poisoned with a smile and a Whitebeard Pirate responded with equal calmness.

"In that case, you should be in the clear, especially seeing as days have passed since the initial poisoning. If you start to feel anything unusual, remember to call. Preferably right away." Whiskey said with a slight hint of chastising to her tone.

"Right!" Luffy affirmed with a nod and a serious look, but from the sigh that came from the nurse, it was clear she wasn't expecting much.

"And for the sake of all of all crews- yours and Pops'- get yourself a doctor Luffy. It's only a matter of time until you need actual medical care and calling us doesn't cut it." The nurse continued.

"Got it! Call you if I feel weird and get a doctor!" Luffy repeated, counting the tasks off on his fingers.

"Thanks, Whiskey! I'll talk to you later!" Luffy said, his smile returning as he began wrapping up the conversation.

"Hopefully with better news. Stay safe Luffy. Gatcha." With that, the snail went back to sleep, leaving them in silence. Without a word, Luffy stood, taking the snail in his hand and moving to place it back on the barrel it had resided on previously. The crew, still in a state of shock, only watched from where they were sitting on the Merry's deck. None moved, none blinked, in fact, they barely breathed.

"Oh, by the way, Sanji, I can see colors, smell really well, feel people's emotions, and see memories," Luffy said, smile never faltering as he now turned to address the chef. He'd realized now that things were calm that he hadn't exactly explained that to the blonde like he had the others.

"Alright, that makes sense I guess..." Sanji said, expression still dumbfounded. Luffy cocked his head at not only the chef's words but his emotions. He could practically feel as the man's emotions shifted away from shock to surprise and then anger.

"Wait a minute-!"

"Shishishi~!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arlong Park is now officially over and done with and Loguetown will begin next chapter! I don't have much to say about this chapter, just that it was a transitional chapter from Arlong Park to Loguetown, and we also got to talk to Whiskey again. Other than that, I have a ton of school work that I need to get done, so, sorry for the short authors note, but that's all I've got for this update.
> 
> Thank you all so much as always for your love and support! My motivation would have dried up years ago if it weren't for all of you amazing people!


	19. A Short Interlude

"Come on! Just one tangerine! You're such a cheapskate, Sanji!" Luffy whined, sticking his tongue out at the chef.

"No!" Sanjis immediate reply was. There wasn't a hint of hesitation in the chef as he said the word, and it was clear to Luffy that he wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried. Pout gone, Luffy smiled his D smile where he sat on the railing.

"Well, oh well! I'm happy now, anyway!" Luffy laughed, taking in the calm emotions from his new crew. Nami was nearby lounging on a lounge chair as she read the newspaper, Zoro was napping against the cabin, Sanji was guarding Namis tangerine trees and Usopp was lying on the deck with a wet cloth over his eyes after Luffy may or may not have caused him to get tabasco in his eyes.

"The world sure is a turbulent place. Another coup in Villa..." Nami trailed off as she turned the page of her newspaper, and when she did a piece of paper came fluttering out of it and past Luffy.

"What's that?" He asked, blinking as he watched it pass him. Usopp took the cloth off his eyes just in time for the paper to land beside him. Seeing it, Nami and Usopp's eyes widened in surprise, the two of them shrieking at the same time. Sanji, wanting to see what had them so worked up, walked over while Zoro continued napping.

"W-w-w-what?!" Usopp stuttered out, sitting up now. The wet cloth was long forgotten, the sniper's eyes rimmed with red still.

"Shishishi~! This is great!" Luffy cheered happily.

"Great?! What about this is great?!" Nami asked, picking the paper up and shoving it in Luffys face. It was the teens wanted poster, but the bounty had been, yet again, increased another 10 million for a grand total of 360 million. Not only that, but his picture had been updated for the first time since he'd had a wanted poster. It now displayed Luffy cheerily smiling his D smile to the camera, one hand raised and covering the corner of the frame, while to the left, behind Luffys shoulder, was the back of Usopps head.

"I have a new picture! And my bounties higher! Soon it'll be bigger than Aces!" Luffy said, smiling at the prospect as he took the poster from Nami's hands to examine it closer. The navigator blinked, slowly processing his words before a scowl formed on her face.

"Do you not understand what this means?! You're already a highly wanted criminal! Now it's even worse!" She cried, but her rage was quick to turn to despair when Luffy only continued laughing.

"What did I sign up for?" She moaned as she fell to the floor beside Usopp who was silently freaking out. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the abandoned newspaper lying on her lounge chair and reached out for it, ignoring Luffys laughing and Sanjis words as he asked the Captain what was going on.

Looking at the page she'd left off on, Nami was greeted with the picture of Luffy that was on his wanted poster, big bold letters beside it reading; '11097 Cuts Ties With Whitebeard: The Strongest Man In The World?!'

Reading over the article, she noticed that the Marines had definitely gotten some of the events wrong. Where they said Luffy had ruthlessly come to Cocoyashi and attacked Arlong without reason, only to harass the villagers after, she knew that hadn't been the case. There was talk of his fight with Buggy and Krieg, as well as speculation on what Luffy had done to be, 'Kicked out of the Whitebeards' as they put it, but for the most part, it was full of propaganda about Absolute Justice that the navigator had seen time and again.

Turning back to Luffy, Nami saw that even Zoro had woken up to see what was happening, he and Sanji both looking at the bounty poster. Luffy was smiling and talking happily to Usopp, the sniper looking utterly terrified still, but Luffy was just as quick to fall silent. With the loud, boisterous voice suddenly gone, everyone looked to the young Captain to see what was wrong, but he wasn't looking at them anymore. Instead, he was looking off at the horizon, a blank look on his face.

"What is it, Luffy?" Zoro asked, hand moving to his sword at his side. His other two had been destroyed during his fight with Hatchi, the octopus Fishman. Luffy tilted his head up, visibly smelling the air before turning to look at his crew.

"Someones coming," Luffy said, a sudden look of deep thought on his face, a finger on his chin.

"Someone? Do you know who it is?" Sanji asked, a little surprised to see Luffy smell the air like he had. Sure, Luffy had told him about his enhanced senses- and Sanji wasn't even going to try and figure out how that had happened- but it was strange to see him use those senses.

"Mm, I think so... I've smelled 'em before..." Luffy muttered, eyebrows furrowing as he thought harder.

"I-its not anyone bad... right?" Usopp asked frightfully, legs already shaking at the thought.

"Where did I smell them...?" Luffy muttered instead of answering the sniper.

"I don't see anyone. Are you sure there's someone there?" Nami asked as she leaned over the railing, looking where Luffy had.

"Familiar... familiar... food..." Luffy continued muttering.

"Would you answer us?!" Nami asked, hitting Luffy out of frustration. Due to the strength of the hit, Luffy fell off of the railing and onto the ground, but it seemed the hit didn't faze him as his expression suddenly lit up.

"That's right! It's that Shortbody guy!" Luffy exclaimed, placing a fist in his open palm at the realization.

At the name, everyone looked to Luffy, blinking unknowingly.

"Shortbody? What kind of a name is that?" Zoro asked, confused.

"Wait, maybe it wasn't Shortbody... the one Sanji beat up!" Luffy corrected, the crew looking to Sanji now in hopes that he knew the name.

"I beat up?" Sanji asked, pointing to himself. Luffy nodded, still grinning widely.

"I don't know, I've beat up a lot of people... Shortbody... wait, do you mean Fullbody?" He asked suddenly, Luffy nodding again.

"Yeah! That was his name! He's coming." Luffy said, standing up off the ground and looking back at the ocean.

"Fullbody? Wasn't he that Marine guy from the Baratie?" Nami asked, remembering their encounter with the Marine outside the Baratie, and again once they had gone inside.

"That's him. Bastard wasted his perfectly good soup in front of me." Sanji said with a scowl.

"What bad luck to run into him again..." Usopp said with a frown. He wasn't as scared as he had been the first time they'd run into the marine. Luffy had taken them all down pretty quickly after all.

"For who, us or them?" Sanji asked, also thinking back to how easy it had been to take down the Marine.

"In any case, I don't see anyone out there. You're not making things up, right?" Nami asked, because as much as she was trying to force herself to accept Luffys so-called abilities, there was still a large part of her that couldn't believe the teen.

"Of course not!" Luffy said, looking mildly offended at the accusation, but otherwise still quite cheery as he looked at the ocean.

"Alright, alright, I was just asking!" Nami said, holding her hands up in her defense.

After some time passed, Nami was almost convinced that Luffy had just been messing with them, but a shout from Usopp told them all that he had in fact been telling the truth.

"Hey, it's them!" Usopp shouted from the upper deck where he and Luffy were at.

Sanji was inside cooking and Zoro was napping yet again, so only Nami was left to look over the railing. It wasn't hard to spot the beat-up ship heading towards them, very clearly a marine ship. It didn't seem that the Marines were paying them any attention though as they slowly went right past them, but before they could fully pass, the few on the deck turned to look at them.

There was a shriek of terror from the marines and a commanding yell from Fullbody before the ship was turning around and heading right back to them.

"So Luffy wasn't lying then," Nami muttered to herself, glancing over to the captain. She had to admit, that had been some pretty damning evidence. The marine ship hadn't even been in sight, so for Luffy to not only know Marines were coming, but which specific marine, meant that he either was telling the truth on his abilities, or he had somehow gotten information on where Fullbody was going to be today.

The latter seemed far more unlikely than the former to her.

"Do you think someone attacked their ship? It's all scrapped..." Luffy said as he peered over to the ship, hand shielding his eyes from the sun as he did.

"It's not nice of the navy to toss its scrapped ships into the ocean..." Usopp agreed, the two of them clearly thinking that the ship was no longer being used despite the people on it.

"This is not a scrapped ship! Do you guys have keyholes for eyes?! Have you forgotten what Iron Fist Fullbody looks like?!" Fullbody asked, stepping onto the railing of his ship and holding out one of his fists to them in anger.

"Oh, right! You're on the ship! Are you stranded? You want us to help you?" Luffy asked, momentarily surprising the rest of his crew with his willingness to help a marine. Luffy wasn't bothered by the idea, because even though he may not like marines in the slightest, he wouldn't leave them to drift aimlessly and die. These ones hadn't really done him any harm, and he knew that even if they tried to turn on him, he could easily take them.

"Quit fooling around! Our meeting here spells the end of your luck! 11097, Monkey D. Luffy, you're under arrest!" Fullbody exclaimed, holding up Luffys newest wanted poster with its updated picture and bounty.

"Yeah! That's a good picture of me, huh?!" Luffy asked happily.

"And the back of my head!" Usopp added, clearly proud of it.

"Shame you're still wanted Alive only. It doesn't say unharmed though! Aim the cannon!" Fullbody ordered, one of the other marines doing as told without hesitation.

"Oh? You're gonna shoot?" Luffy asked while Usopp began screaming in fear. Nami paled as she stared down the canon.

"They're aiming right at us! This is bad!" Usopp shrieked, backing away from the railing. Zoro finally woke from his nap, peeking an eye open and taking in the situation quickly before grabbing his only sword and standing.

"So these guys finally arrived, huh?" He muttered to himself as he stood.

"Alright! Leave it to me! I'll bounce it back!" Luffy cheered, lowering his stance in preparation. Feeling Zoros sudden confidence getting closer from behind him stopped him though.

"Luffy. Let me handle this one." Zoro said, grabbing Luffys shoulder and pulling him back towards Usopp.

"Sure thing, Zoro!" Luffy laughed, standing beside Usopp. There was a loud blast as the cannon went off, all of them watching as the cannonball flew towards Zoro. Without even an ounce of fear, the swordsman unsheathed his sword and sliced the ball in two. Usopp's jaw dropped while Luffy watched in awe.

"Awesome!" He cried, watching the destroyed cannonball fly past Zoro and fall safely into the water.

"That's impossible!" Fullbody yelled. Like Usopp, the marines all had their jaws dropped, eyeing Zoro as he sheathed his sword and glared at them.

"Don't bother people while their napping." Luffy could feel Zoros annoyance behind the words and laughed again, finding the whole situation funny. Despite the show of power, Fullbody wasn't done.

"There's plenty more where that came from! Fire!" The canon was readied again immediately and Luffy stopped laughing.

"Huh? This is bad..." Luffy said, surprising Usopp.

"It is?!" Usopp asked fearfully, thinking that Luffy would have had this handled. There wasn't any more time to deliberate as the boom went off again, but instead of the cannonball Usopp expected, the cannon itself exploded right in the marine and Fullbody's faces.

"See? There were cracks in the cannon." Luffy said.

"Yeah, that's definitely bad," Usopp said, sweatdropping and raising an eyebrow to the marines. Luffy felt the anger and irritation in Fullbody rise as the Marine ship hit the Merry.

"You damn brats! Don't you dare mock the power of a former Navy HQ Lieutenant! We'll just have to fight you hand-to-hand! Men! Follow me!" Fullbody yelled as he jumped over onto the Merry in front of Luffy.

"Yeah!" The other marines agreed despite their fear, following without much hesitation.

"I'll have your head!" Fullbody called as he punched Luffy in the face. Usopp screeched, having been standing behind Luffy, and quickly moved when Luffys entire head stretched back and over the railing. With a grin, Luffy let his neck stretch until it couldn't anymore and then promptly let it snap back.

"Gum Gum Bell!" Luffy called as he headbutted Fullbody. The marine flew back, hitting Merry's railing and falling to the deck, looking at Luffy in fear. It was quick to change to terror when all of his soldiers flew back towards the Marine ship and he looked up to see Sanji, pan in hand.

"You got some real balls, pickin' a fight during mealtime, tough guy. Don't got any soup bowls today. You plannin' to lick the deck or something?" Without any further prompting, Fullbody screamed and joined his men in jumping back to their ship and then into the water.

"Huh? He's done already?" Luffy asked, adjusting his hat.

"He was nothing but talk," Usopp said, arms crossed.

"He's as damn wimpy as ever," Sanji muttered. From the lower deck, Nami shook her head.

"I can't even relax and read the newspaper with all of this commotion," Nami said with a shake of her head, walking back over to her lounge chair and picking said paper up again.

"Nami-san! I'm finished preparing your meal!" Sanji cooed once he heard Nami.

"Ooh! I'm starving! Food! Food!" Luffy cheered hungrily.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

After another delicious meal made by Sanji, the crew sat on the deck in a circle, looking at a map that sat inbetween them.

"We're finally nearing the Grand Line. It looks like the only way into it is through Reverse Mountain here." Nami told them as she pointed to that spot on the map.

"What a pain. Cant we just go straight through it?" Zoro asked.

"Nope. From what the geezer told me, that's the only way boats can enter." Sanji said as he looked over the map as well.

"How come?" Usopp asked.

"Because it's dangerous," Sanji answered, but this didn't seem to please Usopp.

"But how come?" The sniper pressed, hands on his hips as he leaned towards Sanji.

"I don't know any more than that!" The chef barked back.

"The reason for that is..." Nami was cut off by Luffy.

"Ah, I can't wait! I've always wanted to go up Reverse Mountain!" He said wistfully, a grin on his face as he thought of all the things the Whitebeards had told him about it. The others all looked over at Luffy at his words, blinking.

"Wait a second... you haven't been to Reverse Mountain?" Nami asked.

"Huh? No, why?" Luffy asked, confused now.

"Then how did you get to the Grand Line before?" Zoro asked. At that, Luffy realized why they were asking and frowned.

"I don't remember," Luffy said with a shrug, because it wasn't a lie.

"You don't remember?" Usopp questioned, sitting down now.

"Nope. I was taken from my island here in the East Blue, but I don't know how we got to the Grand Line. We weren't allowed outside, so we never even knew we were in the Grand Line until Pops saved us and told us." Luffy told them with a frown, pushing back the memories of being trapped in the tiny, dark closet for weeks on end.

Hearing about Luffys kidnap again left the crew silent, none of them knowing quite how to respond to his dark words. With how cheery Luffy usually was, it was hard for them to remember that he'd been kidnapped and held in, what he deemed, a bad place.

"D-... Do you know anything about Reverse Mountain?" Nami finally decided on asking. The rest of the crew looked to Luffy now, wondering if he would respond. They were relieved when Luffy looked to be thinking, clearly not affected by his previous words. At least, he made it seem that way.

"Hm... Pops and the others always said it was, 'A pirates rite of passage!' Oh, and a lot of them said they were terrified when they first went, but then Thatch would always make fun of them and say that any real pirate shouldn't be scared of a tiny mountain and then that usually started an argument and Marco would come in and-"

"Reverse Mountain, Luffy..." Usopp muttered, sweatdropping at how off-track Luffy had gotten.

"Oh, right. I don't know much about it, just that it's a mountain, and it's apparently scary. A few said it was really fun, but that they were scared when they first saw it." Luffy said. His crew glanced at each other, all of them seeming to be communicating amongst themselves through looks.

"Shishishi, that's all I heard about it, but it sounds pretty cool!" Luffy finished with a laugh, ignoring the antics of the others.

"How did you get fun from terrifying scary mountain?" Usopp asked, trying to ignore the fact that, even while sitting, his legs were starting to shake at the thought. He wasn't given a response as Luffy only continued laughing loudly.

"Well, I don't know about terrifying or scary, but either way, we have to pass it," Nami said with a sigh.

"Yosh! But first, let's stop at an island and get meat! Meat! Meat!" Luffy declared. With a sigh, Nami stretched her arm out and pointed to a spot on the map close to where Reverse Mountain was.

"There's a famous city on this island... Loguetown." Nami said.

"Also known as the city of the beginning and the end... I'm pretty sure I heard that before." Zoro added, leaning against the railing and looking to the sky.

"It's the town where Gold Roger was born... and executed." Nami finished with a frown as she examined the map.

"The town where the King of the Pirates died..." Luffy said softly, face blank. Hearing his words, Nami turned to look at him with a grin.

"Wanna go?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah! I wanna see it! I wanna see the town where the man who got the One Piece- everything this world has to offer- was born and then died!" Luffy said, face still void of his usual smile as he spoke.

His words were all they needed though to direct their ship towards the island, all of them excited to some extent to visit their next island.

**_/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_ **

Unlike before, when Luffy and Zoro had been in a small rowboat with no space to even sleep comfortably, the Merry had a much bigger deck.

Now that they knew where they were going and everything that needed to be taken care of was good, that meant Luffy had time to do whatever he wanted. Most would relax, especially when time to relax as a pirate is scarce at best, but not Luffy.

Relaxing was too boring for the energetic young Captain, so thoughts of laying down and doing nothing were quickly dashed from his mind. Seeing as he didn't want to relax though, that meant he had to find something else to do.

"Ne, Zoro? Neee~, Zoroooo~!" Luffy called, poking Zoros cheek with each word. The swordsman was, unlike Luffy, attempting to take a nap against the railing. This was proving unsuccessful however due to Luffys interference.

"Zooo~roooo~!" Luffy called. Finally, the swordsman cracked an eye open, looking at Luffy in annoyance.

"What?" He finally grumbled out, cheek still pushed in from Luffys finger.

"I'm bored!" Luffy whined, and despite the fact that he could feel Zoros annoyance, he ignored it.

"And what am I supposed to do about it?" Zoro asked with a sigh, sitting up to address his Captain better.

"Mm... I don't know. Oh! Let's play a game!" Luffy suggested with a grin, sitting in front of his swordsman.

"A game? What kind?" At Zoro's words, Luffy drew a blank. They didn't have any cards- they should probably get some at Loguetown- and even though the Merry was bigger than their previous rowboat, it was still too small for some of the more physical games Luffy could think of.

"Tag!" Zoro blinked at the sudden suggestion. Luffy was wearing a big smile on his face at the idea, nearly leaning forward on his hands towards Zoro in his excitement.

"Tag? No thanks. Go ask Usopp or something." The green-haired man said, closing his eyes and trying to settle down for the nap he'd attempted before.

"Aw, come on! Zoro~! Zoro, play tag! Please?! Pleeeaaasssee?!" Luffy whined, and every time Zoro thought his Captain had given up, he'd start asking again, sometimes even pulling on Zoros sleeve or poking his face. Slowly but surely, the swordsman's ire grew again until it was too much.

"That's it!" He roared. Luffy wasn't surprised by the outburst in the slightest, his smile back full force as both Zoro and Luffy jumped to their feet. With a whoop, Luffy took off running, Zoro close behind.

"Usopp! Run! Zoro's it!"

"What? ACK! Don't run towards me!" From her lounge chair, Nami threw the newspaper down, rubbing her forehead.

"How hard is it to just relax so I can read?!"

**_/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_ **

"Alright, I need some answers," Sanji said from beside Luffy. The teen looked over to the chef with a look of confusion.

"Answers? For what?" Luffy asked, wondering what Sanji was talking about.

After he'd angered Zoro into inadvertently playing tag- along with Usopp- Nami had gotten annoyed and yelled at all of them, stopping the game. With nothing left to do, Luffy had gone to sit on Merry's figurehead, watching the ocean. Sanji had been in the kitchen for the most part, so for him to suddenly be demanding answers from Luffy confused him.

"For your abilities, or whatever they are," Sanji said, gesturing vaguely.

"Oh, why didn't you say so? What do you want to know?" Luffy asked, turning to sit facing Sanji so that he could properly talk to him.

"First off, what the heck does, 'seeing colors' mean? Last I checked, most people could see colors." Sanji said, because after Luffy had announced that he could, 'See colors, smell really well, feel people's emotions, and see memories' the teen had left it at that and left Sanji wondering what the hell half of it meant.

"Easy, I see colors around people. Yours is blue, like Zoro, Nami and Usopp. It means you're good people. Bad people have darker colors, like grey or blue." Luffy explained to the best of his ability. To his credit, Sanji seemed to accept this answer and moved on to another question.

"Alright, and you can also feel people's emotions?" He questioned.

"Yup! You're curious, Usopp is still scared from Namis yelling, Zoro is angry and annoyed- oh, and tired- and Nami is angry, but she's calming down now and getting more relaxed." Luffy said, forgoing the rule he usually had to not share other crewmate's emotions with other crewmembers. He felt it would help explain things to Sanji better if he gave examples of his abilities, and the only way to do that was to give away everyone else's emotions.

"Ok, seeing colors and feeling emotions. Next is seeing memories. What's that about?" Sanji continued, and like most people, Luffy felt a slight fear and anxiety in the chef at his words. It was clear that he didn't like the idea that Luffy could possibly see his memories, but that was the same for most people.

"Don't worry, I can control that one. I don't like looking at people's memories, so I don't. If I wanted to, I just have to look in someone's eyes and I'll see their entire life up until now. I wouldn't ever do it unless absolutely necessary though." Luffy told the chef, feeling that he was more reassured than before.

"So you haven't looked into any of our memories then?" Sanji asked, making sure.

"Nope. Don't wanna." Luffy confirmed.

"Then that leaves smell. I understand that you have a strong sense of smell, but just how strong is it? Do any of the spices in the kitchen bother you?" He asked, now worried.

"Not really. If there's a lot of pepper on something I'll start sneezing a lot, and chili powder makes my nose burn. Oh, and paprika. I don't like the smell of that either." Luffy said, trying to think of all the smells Thatch and the other chefs had used in their foods.

"What about foods then? I'd think hot peppers seeing as chili powder makes your nose burn, but anything else?" The chef asked, clearly taking note mentally. Luffy smiled softly at that, happy that the chef cared enough to ask.

"Right. Vinegar's strong and smelly, so I usually stay away from that. If you're cutting a lot of citrusy things like oranges and lemons it'll give me a headache, and a lot of mint does the same thing too. Other than that, I don't think there's anything else. If I think of anything else I'll tell you." Luffy said after thinking about it. Sanji nodded, dedicating the list to memory.

"Usually it's only when cooking that the smells bother me the most, because that's when they're strongest. If there's pepper on food, it usually won't bother me unless there's a lot of it. And if you make citrus things, once it's made, it's fine, but when you're cutting it or peeling it they smell stronger. I try and stay away from the kitchen if I smell something that bothers my nose." Luffy explained further. Even though the smells bothered him, he didn't want Sanji to stop using the ingredients completely. He knew people liked the taste of oranges and spices- he did too- but when chefs work with them the smell is stronger and can irritate his nose.

After the explanation, Sanji sighed, taking the cigarette out of his mouth.

"Got it. How did you get all these weird abilities anyhow? That's not exactly something people are born with." Sanji said, and then immediately wondered if Luffy had been born with the abilities. Sure, it would be weird, but it could very well be something as simple as that.

"The facility. I don't think I told you, but it wasn't a mental hospital like they said. It's a bad place run by the government and that's why they want us back so bad. So we don't say anything about it." The answer was short and simple, but the murky look in Luffys eyes and the change in tone told Sanji that that was all the explanation he would be getting on the subject. After a second of silence, the chef nodded, turning and putting the cigarette back between his lips.

"I'm starting dinner now. I'll avoid foods with too much pepper." He said. Luffys smile returned and he nodded.

"Mm! Will it be meat?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I can't believe I forgot to upload this chapter here on AO3! Usually I open both Fanfiction and AO3 and upload at the exact same time, but I was so busy yesterday I went back to my old habits of just updating FF. Forgive me for the lateness, but I literally saw the AO3 bookmark and thought to myself, 'You know, I don't think I updated that yesterday...'
> 
> Anyway, onto the chapter notes. This is one of my shorter chapters, so sorry about that, but it had some necessary bits in it. Loguetown will for sure be starting next chapter and that chapter is much longer then this one was! Also, we'll be getting a visit from a certain someone that I'm sure all of you will be happy to see!
> 
> Before I spoil the whole thing, I completely forgot to thank you guys for 200 kudos last chapter! Holy moly you all! I'm still in disbelief that there are people who love this story to write comments on it! I thank you all sincerely from the bottom of my heart, whether you commented, left a kudos, bookmarked, subscribed, or even just read my story. Thank you all so so much. Honestly, I could gush about all of you all day, but I think that'd get pretty boring after a while.
> 
> In any case, why don't we talk about this chapter instead? As the title indicates, this one was a shorter- one of my shortest- chapter to help ease into Loguetown as well as answer a few questions such as Luffy's bounty. It is much much higher then canon, obviously, due to his previous exploits, and it will only continue to increase from here on out. Also, Sanji has now been briefed about the facility and Luffy's abilities as well. Before he was just going off the assumption that Luffy truly had escaped from a mental hospital, but after watching Luffy long enough he rationalized that Luffy couldn't be all that crazy and decided to join the crew regardless. What this says about how I've decided to characterize Sanji, I don't know, but at least in this story he was willing to follow a potential mental hospital escapee.
> 
> Well, after that long AN, I think I'll be leaving you all for now! In two weeks time we'll be sailing straight into Loguetown and seeing that certain someone I mentioned earlier. Until then, thank you all for the love and support! You guys are the absolute best!
> 
> *And I promise I won't forget about you guys here on AO3 again!*


	20. He Lives

"Wow! What a cool town!" Luffy said as he took in his surroundings. Just above him was an archway with a sign clearly stating that they were now at Loguetown.

"The place used to be full of pirates on their way to the Grand Line. It has everything you could ever need!" Nami said knowingly, having heard about this town many times before from the pirates she used to steal from.

"Alright! I'm gonna go get equipment for our upcoming great adventure!" Usopp boasted with a smile.

"Looks like I can get some good ingredients here. Good women too!" Sanji said, a perverse look on his face at the thought.

"I got something I wanna buy, too," Zoro said, more to himself, but immediately, Luffy felt Namis greed rise as the redhead turned to look at the swordsman.

"Oh? How are you gonna do that? You're flat broke, as I recall!" She said, a little too cheery for the words she was saying.

"Alright! I'm gonna check out the execution platform!" Luffy said, ignoring Nami completely in favor of smelling the air. He didn't know what an execution platform would smell like, but he was sure he'd find it eventually.

"Huh?" Usopp and Sanji asked. They both turned to look at Luffy, but by the time they'd turned their eyes away from Zoro and Nami, their Captain was already running off.

"I'm gonna see where the King of the Pirates was executed!" Luffy called out to them, not even turning to address them.

"Hey, wait! We still haven't decided where to meet up at!" Usopp's yell was too late as Luffy was too far into the crowd of people to hear him.

Running through the street, Luffy could feel his excitement rising. Just the thought of the execution platform- that he hadn't known about until they were already heading to this island- filled him with awe and wonder. To see where the Pirate King had been born and then died? It was an opportunity Luffy hadn't exactly expected to stumble upon, and yet here he was.

In his musings, Luffy had managed to run himself in circles. Thanks to his nose, he didn't wind up back at the port, but he did manage to end up in a strange alley. Looking around, a sign caught his eye, and- momentarily- his hunt for the execution platform was put on hold.

Walking down the stairs and then into the strange place, which looked to be a run-down bar on the inside, Luffy looked around and saw an old man sitting at a table.

"Huh? Do you work here, old guy? It said Gold Roger on the sign outside. Is that this place's name?" Luffy asked, examining the man carefully. The quick color check told him the old man had a blue aura, and a scan of his emotions showed nothing but peaceful calm, acceptance, and a hint of bitterness.

"Scram. This ain't a place for a runt like you. Besides, we're closed for good as of today." The man said as he poured himself a drink, probably not his first from the looks of it.

"It went under?" Luffy questioned, not planning on leaving despite the man's words.

"It didn't go under! I'm shutting it down myself! Now get lost!" The man repeated, and like with most people that came into contact with Luffy, there was a growing ball of irritation in the man.

"I was just curious about the name, that's all. I'm lost. I was wanting to go to the execution platform... Can you tell me how to get there?" Luffy asked, moving to the bar and sitting on one of the stools. The second he did that, though, he got a look at where the man was sitting, an object on the table he sat at.

"What's that on your table? Oh! A skull?! It's huge!" Luffy said in amazement. Even though the man hadn't seemed all that interested in talking, he didn't seem to mind it now as he launched into a tale of who the skull belonged to, a man once known as Killer Giant.

Luffy listened to the story with rapt attention, nostalgic for the stories that Whitebeard used to tell him. This old man seemed to have the same knack for storytelling as Whitebeard did; Luffy hanging on to his every word. All of the stories were centered around Gol Roger himself, from when this old man knew him as a resident of this very bar, to when he was executed 22 years ago.

"But now look! The town's full of nothing but cowards and scum now! Men crazy enough to challenge that sea of evil are all but gone now! That's why this bar is closing down for good today." The old man said, almost wistfully. The bitterness was back, but Luffy paid it no mind, still smiling widely from the stories and swinging his feet back and forth in the air.

"I'm going to the Grand Line too!" Luffy said, more to himself as he looked to the ground.

"Huh?" The old man asked in disbelief, eyes widening.

"Gold Rogers so cool... He's how a pirate should be! I set out to sea for lots of reasons, but Rogers definitely one of them. I'm gonna go to the Grand Line, and then the New World, get the One Piece, and be the King of the Pirates!" Luffy said, lifting his head to show the D grin on his face. Again, the man's disbelief rose, eyes as wide as they could get.

"Those're some mighty big words! And in this bar, of all places!" He finally decided on saying.

"I only said what I meant," Luffy said honestly, smiling becoming more relaxed. The old man sighed, smiling now as well, and any and all bitterness that had lingered in him was gone completely.

"Kiddo! If there're still patrons like you out there, maybe I'll hold off on closing this place!" He said. Confused, Luffy straightened.

"How should I know if there are?!" Luffy asked, not understanding.

"You're right! Of course, you wouldn't know! I haven't been in such a good mood since back then! I'll treat you to a drink!" The old man said, shuffling away from his table and behind the bar, digging around for something. Luffy turned his head to watch over his shoulder, confusion gone now.

"I don't drink alcohol." His words were met with a laugh, and Luffy could that the old man was in a much better mood than when he'd first walked in here.

"Right! Then have this." The old man said, holding two glasses of milk and holding one out to Luffy.

"Let's have a toast! To the Eternal King of the Pirates!" The man said, taking off his hat and grinning at Luffy. Turning to face the man fully now, Luffy smiled again in determination, grabbing the glass.

"To the Eternal King of the Pirates!" Luffy toasted, the two clinking their glasses together before chugging them down.

Luffy stayed for only a few minutes longer before telling the old man he had to get going, leaving his empty glass on the bar for the old man to clean. Before he left, the old man gave him instructions on how to get to the platform, and with a thanks, Luffy left to begin his hunt anew.

As he walked down Main street he talked quietly to himself, taking in the sights and trying to imagine whether Roger walked these same streets or not.

Once he got down the street, he was stood in a large plaza staring right at the tall execution platform the towered over everyone.

"There it is... So this is where the King of the Pirates was executed... The place where the greatest pirate in history died... The place where it began..." Luffy said, a smile slowly forming on his face. Without any hesitation, Luffy moved to the base of the platform and promptly began climbing it.

Everyone in the plaza stopped to stare at him, some of them telling him warnings of how he could get hurt, but Luffy ignored them.

Well, that is, until one of them was a marine.

"Hey. Hey, 11097!" With a pout, Luffy turned to look at the man, pleasantly surprised that this Marine had a blue aura. He didn't look like the usual clueless marine lackey. No, this man looked to hold at least some kind of power, and for a marine with power to have such a clear blue aura was rare for Luffy to see.

"What do you want? I'm busy right now!" Luffy called out, not bothering to come down from where he'd started climbing.

"So you are 11097 then. The ex-Whitebeard." The man continued. As he spoke, Luffy noted that the man had two cigars in his mouth, making him curious as to whether Fossa had ever tried doing that before.

"I'm Luffy. Do you need something?" Luffy asked again, wanting to go back to his task of climbing the platform. After he said that, though, he slipped down a little, surprising him. Managing to stop himself before he hit the ground, he turned to look at the Marine again.

"I'm Captain Smoker of the Navy. I'm in charge of Loguetown. You're under arrest." Luffy almost laughed at those words, because in all his time of being a pirate, he'd heard that line more times than he could count, and yet, he was still free.

He kept himself from laughing, but he couldn't stop the large smile that formed on his face instead.

"Nah, I don't think so. I'm just about to go back into Paradise and be the King of the Pirates! I won't get arrested in a place like this." Luffy said knowingly. It would be highly unlikely that Luffy would run into someone here that could take him down.

"You'll have to fight me, then. You don't get into the Grand Line unless you can beat me. That's the rule of this town. That's assuming you're brave enough to fight me, of course." Smoker challenged, and now Luffy was interested. Not interested enough to come down from the platform just yet, but interested none-the-less.

"So I cant go back to Paradise unless I beat you? Then I'll beat you!" Luffy said, grinning, his excitement growing at the idea of a fight. Hopefully a good one.

"Go ahead and try." Smoker said, also seeming to prepare for the fight. Reeling back a fist, Luffy threw it forward, only to spin and fall back, his torso stretching but his legs staying wrapped around the metal of the platform's base.

"Ah! I'm tangled!" Luffy muttered, looking to his legs and stretching back to normal.

"So you are made of rubber then. Just what the hell are you doing?!" Smoker barked once he noted Luffys abilities. He didn't like the fact that it seemed like Luffy wasn't taking him seriously.

"I'm not doing this cause I wanna! It's my legs..." Luffy said defensively, trying to pull said appendages free from the metal they were trapped between. With a snap, they were freed and he flew back away from the platform.

"I'm unstuck! Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy called, spinning his body midair and aiming a punch right for Smoker. The man watched as the fist came his way before jumping out of the way, appearing behind Luffy.

"Too slow!" Seeing- and feeling due to his haki- the fist aimed at his face, Luffy ducked, laughing to himself as he did. Smoker wasn't done though as he appeared again behind Luffy, swinging his leg out to kick Luffy which the teen also dodged.

"Now who's too slow?" Luffy asked as he re-centered himself, throwing another punch towards Smoker. At the same time that he did that, Smoker threw a punch of his own that Luffy moved out of the way of. When this happened though, Luffy noticed that his fist, which should have hit something by now, hadn't. Looking, he saw the hole in Smoker that was now quickly being filled with smoke.

"Devil fruit." Luffy determined quickly.

"That's right. I ate the moku-moku fruit so my body is made entirely of smoke." The marine explained, demonstrating by having the smoke he could control surround him. Luffy took this information in stride, a little more excited now than he had been before about this fight. This Marine was not only a good color, but he also seemed to be able to put up a little bit of a fight against him.

Of course, with Luffy preoccupied with his thoughts and excitement, he didn't notice the fist until it was hitting him in the chest, sending him flying into the metal base of the platform and onto the ground again.

"22 years ago, I saw his execution. His proud final moments were worthy of the King of the Pirates..." Smoker said, Luffy feeling that he meant every word he was saying from where he still lay on the floor.

"You, King of the Pirates? Don't make me laugh! You may have been to the Grand Line thanks to Whitebeard, but you're no longer with him." Smoker said, underestimating Luffy like everyone always does. Luffy didn't know if he was amused or annoyed by the assumption, but either way, he stood back up with a smile.

"I may not be with Pops anymore, but that just means I'll have to go and try taking on Paradise with my own crew. Get ready, cause here I come! Gum Gum... whip!" Stretching his leg behind him, Luffy swung it forward, sweeping Smoker away before he could move away. Luffy felt the man's surprise, most likely wondering how he'd managed to get hit in the first place.

The marine was flung through a few buildings due to the force behind Luffys kick and because of that, Luffy was left with only two marine lackeys who were watching with dropped jaws. The civilians around them were speaking in hushed ones of fear amongst each other, but Luffy ignored them, looking at the marines.

"I'm gonna climb this now, ok?" He asked, jutting a thumb out behind him and using it to point to the execution platform. When the marines didn't respond- still too shell-shocked- Luffy merely shrugged before turning and jogging back over to the base of the platform.

Now that he didn't have any interruptions, Luffy was free to climb the platform without any issues. When the marines snapped out of it, they made an empty threat of forcing Luffy to come down and arresting him, but one confused look from Luffy had them running after Smoker.

Scrambling up the scaffolding quickly like the Monkey his name signified, Luffy finally reached the top. He had quite a few onlookers from below, but Luffy ignored them, instead shielding his eyes from the sun and looking over the town.

"Wow! So this is the scenery that the King of the Pirates saw... Wow!" Luffy said in awe, a giant smile on his face as he took it all in. The peaceful view was interrupted by a much louder than normal voice.

"Hey, you! Come down right away!" They shouted, megaphone in hand to amplify their voice.

"Why?" Luffy called back, not wanting to come down just yet.

"That's a special execution platform under control of the World Government! Come down right now!" They continued shouting. Stubborn, Luffy only smiled, cupping his hands around his mouth in an attempt at amplifying his own voice.

"You don't have to be so strict, officer." He yelled.

"Either way, I'm going to have to arrest you! I'm coming up now!" The man called, but he didn't even have the chance to take a single step forward when a spiked club hit him in the face, knocking him out cold on the ground.

"Hmph! Now's not the time for small fries. I've been looking for you, Luffy. Long time no see..." Luffy was already frowning at the unnecessary attack on the officer, but it was quick to turn to confusion when he saw the lady that was speaking. He didn't recognize her, but a familiar scent drifting to his nose told him he knew her. Or at least, he'd smelled her before.

"Huh?" Trying to think about it, Luffy sifted through everyone he'd smelled, trying to match previous smells with the person in front of him now.

"Don't tell me you forgot my face..." Around the woman, the civilians, male and female alike, were awestruck by her beauty.

"Perfume and metal..." Luffy muttered to himself, knowing he'd smelled the combination before somewhere.

"Though it seems you've forgotten me, I'll never forget you. You're the first man who hit me." The awestruck civilians were quick to start shooting daggers Luffys way, but the young Captain was still confused.

"Hit you... perfume and metal..." Luffy continued muttering, rubbing his chin in thought. With a snap, Luffy realized, the dots connecting in his brain.

"Ah! You're that Almyra girl!" Luffy realized, pointing to her. Even as he said this though, he couldn't help but wonder if he was right. Was his nose messing with him? Cause this woman didn't look anything like he remembered.

"That's right- Almyra? My name is Alvida. No matter, I will make you mine, Luffy." She said, smiling at the thought. Luffy frowned, raising an eyebrow at the words and taking a step back.

"You're under arrest for harming the police captain! And you, 11097! You're under arrest as well! Get off of the execution platform!" Luffy and Alvidas conversation was cut short as a small group of officers ran out. Alvida didn't move though, only turning her head to smile in their direction.

"Are you sure that's something you can do?" She asked sweetly, reminding Luffy of Nami whenever she was thinking about money and feeling greedy.

"Ah... Captain, I don't think we can arrest her..." One of the, now awestruck, officers said.

"It doesn't matter... we have to..." The first officer didn't have a chance to finish as a loud explosion went off, one of the fountains exploding nearby. The rubble went flying right towards Alvida, but Luffy felt that she wasn't worried in the slightest. She didn't make any move to dodge the incoming stone and everyone watched as the second it hit her it seemed to slip right off and away from her.

"What just happened?" Luffy asked, thoroughly confused. He'd just wanted to see the execution platform and now he had to deal with, not only Smoker, but Alvida who possibly might not actually be Alvida. Oh, and from the smell of it, that clown guy was here too.

"That was dangerous, you know," Alvida said, but despite her words, she was smiling at the group of hooded figures.

"Flashily sorry. But your smooth skin is unharmed, of course. So don't worry Beautiful Alvida." The one Luffy knew to be Buggy said. Alvida's smile never fell as she rubbed her arm.

"You're right. Thanks to the Sube Sube no mi, no attack can hurt my skin because it slides right off it. Unfortunately, my beauty couldn't be improved that much, though. One big change was... yes, my freckles are gone." She said, now rubbing her face with a small look of dismay.

Luffy could feel that she was actually sad about that.

"I don't think that was it..." Luffy said, remembering how Alvida had looked before compared to now.

"After becoming a new person," Alvida continued, completely ignoring Luffy.

"I joined forces with him since we had the same goal; finding you." She finished, jutting a thumb to the cloaked figure of Buggy. With a low laugh, the clown grabbed the edge of his cloak and pulled it off at the same time that the rest of his comrades did, revealing themselves.

"Now, the ultimate star appears super flashily!" Buggy announced, clearly pleased with himself. Luffy only blinked as he watched them, unamused.

"Monkey D. Luffy! Since the day you blew me off, I've been obsessed with revenge on you. That alone led me to finally find my crew. It was indeed a great adventure-" Luffy zoned out as the clown continued talking, instead more focused on how he was going to get back to the Merry.

Wait, what about his crew? He should probably find them first, then go to the Merry, then leave. He'd seen the execution platform now, which is the reason he'd come here after all, so now there was no reason to continue lingering here.

"Are you even listening?! And why am I telling you a story, you bastard?!" Buggy yelled angrily.

"What? Wait a minute, what was your name?" Luffy asked. He hadn't bothered to remember it; after all, he had been a bad guy. Luffy barely remembered good people's names, and that was only because Sabo had yelled at him more times than he could count about it.

"Boggy? No, Boogie? No, Behie... isn't right... Oh yeah, it's Buffoon!" Luffy announced with a grin, happy to remember. Clearly, Buggy didn't like this answer because there was a sudden blast of rage within him.

" _Buffoon?!_ Stop messing around! You sure haven't lost your nerve, you moron!" Buggy screamed. Around him, the civilians were starting to realize who was in front of them, and once they did they all began yelling and screaming, trying to leave the plaza.

"People! Remain flashily where you are!" Buggy ordered, his men pulling out guns and aiming at the civilians. This made everyone stop running instantly, no one wanting to get hurt. Luffy frowned, not liking what was happening.

"I'll show you good how scary I am." Buggy said darkly. Even though Luffy was preoccupied with what was going on below the platform, a sudden thought broke his concentration.

"That's right! Your name is Buggy!" He said.

"You just remembered it?!" Buggy shrieked. Luffys haki screamed that there was someone behind him, and even though he went to avoid them, he wasn't able to avoid the top half of the pillory that pinned him to the ground.

"Ah! I wasn't expecting that!" He said, blinking as he looked up to see the swordsman Zoro had fought back in Orange Town.

"Long time no see 11097. Is Roronoa Zoro well, too?" They asked, sitting on the top of the wooden board and smiling down at Luffy.

"Okay, Cabaji. Good job." Buggy praised from below with a laugh.

"To my several hundred billion servants around the world! Look! We'll now flashily start the open execution! Monkey D. Luffy! You can no longer move even an inch. You feel honored, 11097? You can die in the same place the King of the Pirates died." Buggy said, laughing loudly again. No matter how Luffy twisted and turned, he couldn't get out of the board. As he was doing this, Buggy took the time to join him on the top of the platform, still laughing loudly.

"Pirate Monkey D. Luffy, former Whitebeard Pirate, is to be flashily executed for the crime of getting me angry! Live it up flashily!" Buggy announced, his men cheering and dancing below them. Luffy stopped his struggling, watching the dancing with a smile.

"This is my first time seeing an execution." He said cheerily, forgetting what was happening.

"We're executing you!" Buggy barked, reminding the straw-hatted teen of that fact.

"Huh? Stop joking!" Luffy yelled to the clown.

"You stop joking!" Buggy yelled right back.

"We are now going to start the flashy execution openly!" Buggy called out. Below them, the civilians were watching in fascination, whispering to each other as they wondered if the infamous 11097 was going to be killed here by Buggy. Luffy meanwhile, was continuing to struggle, yelling at Buggy to let him go to no avail. Eventually, the teen stopped his struggles and looked up at Buggy with an blank look.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Please save me." Luffy said monotonously, clearly not meaning his words if the bored look on his face was anything to go on.

"Why would I save you?!" Buggy asked, pointing a sword at Luffys neck.

"Buggy the Clown, you will unhand pirate Monkey D. Luffy 11097 this instant!" A familiar voice from below had everyone looking to see Smoker, along with a blue-haired woman and multiple marines, standing there with their weapons drawn.

"I will, will I?" Buggy asked, not moving either the sword to Luffys neck nor the foot on the teen's head.

"11097 is wanted alive only by the world government. If you refuse to release him, we will be forced to make sure you do." Smoker explained.

"Like I care what that flashy world government wants! Straw Hat here pissed me off, so I'm doing my civic duty and removing him from this world!" Buggy said, smiling widely and turning to look back at Luffy.

"Since you have a big audience, do you want to say something before you die?" When Luffy didn't answer, Buggy continued on.

"Well, that's okay. Whether you wanna say something or not doesn't matter since you're gonna die." Buggy continued, but his words seemed to spark something in Luffy as the bored expression left his face and was replaced, changed to one of determination.

"I'm the man who'll be the King of the Pirates!" Luffys shout was heard across the whole plaza. Jaws dropped and anyone who was moving froze to look up and stare at the straw-hatted teen. Even Smoker and the Marines were surprised by his words.

"Well then, I guess I'll do it now... you damn rubber." Buggy said, laughing again.

"Stop the Buggy Pirates!" Smoker ordered, getting over his momentary shock. This snapped the marines out of it as well as they all moved into action. Smoker himself was about to use his powers to get to Buggy, but a new arrival stopped him, as well as the clown.

"Stop the execution!" Everyone stopped what they were doing at the loud exclamation. They all turned to see who had spoken and a wide smile spread across Luffys face.

"Zoro! Sanji!" He called out happily, picking out the green and blonde hair easily out of the crowd.

"Shame on you! There's a limit to how much you can fool around, Luffy." Zoro chastised, though he was smiling as he said the words. His hand was on his swords- now three once again- and he'd already started taking one out. Beside him, Sanji had his hands in his pockets, a grin on his face as well and a cigarette ever-present in his mouth.

"If you're starting a sideshow, let me join you. What we have to do for now is drive those damn pirates away?" Sanji asked, scanning the crowd in front of him and easily picking out the pirates from the civilians.

"P-Pirate Hunter Zoro!" Seeing the man, the civilians were filled with another bout of fear. All of them moved to the edges of the plaza, leaving space for the showdown that was no doubt about to happen.

"Sanji! Zoro!" Luffy cheered again, still smiling largely.

"So you're here, Zoro! But you're a little too late!" Buggy laughed, raising the sword high in the air, preparing to remove Luffys head from his shoulders. Seeing the threat, Sanji and Zoro went into action, running towards the pirates who were facing them with their weapons.

"We'll bring down that execution platform!" They shouted as they ran.

"Roronoa Zoro!" A blue-haired marine woman exclaimed.

"Tashigi, this is no time to gawk. Men, handle the Buggy Pirates!" Smoker ordered, the marines moving into action again at the words.

"Get 'em boys!" Alvida shouted, all of the pirates charging as well. With all three groups attacking each other, it was chaos, but Luffy was able to easily follow the action with his eyes. The marines held up well enough with the Buggy Pirates, but it seemed they were evenly matched against each other. For Zoro and Sanji, however, the two had no issues as they mowed pirate after pirate down in their efforts to get to the base of the platform.

"Not even Zoro can stop me now! This is the end of your Captain!" Buggy laughed, sword still raised high above his head.

"Damn bastard!" Sanji yelled, and Luffy could feel that both Zoro and Sanji had a desperation growing in them, as well as even a small ball of fear that was slowly growing in size.

A fist followed by a trail of smoke attempted to hit Buggy, but the clown merely broke apart, laughing all the while as Smoker's fist returned to his body. Luffys haki was screaming at him to move, to get out of the way, but Luffy ignored it knowing that there was nothing he could do to avoid the incoming attack. He was able to cover the back of his neck in haki though, knowing that would be enough to buy his crew some time to knock the platform down.

Luffy lifted his head, showing off his infamous D smile as he waited for the sword to hit the haki covered skin. Buggy's sword was closing in on his neck, and Luffy tried to ignore the dread and fear coming full force from Zoro and Sanji. Even Smoker's emotions were all over the place, from shocked to defeated from not being able to stop Buggy, all if the unknowing that Luffy would be just fine.

Luffy tried not to focus on any of that though, his smile never leaving his face as he felt a tingle in the air. When the sword was mere centimeters from his next, there was a loud crack and a flash of white. Beneath him, the platform rumbled and then collapsed to the ground, inflamed. The rain came slow but increased quickly in intensity until it was pouring.

With a laugh, Luffy stood up from the rubble completely unharmed. The same couldn't be said about Buggy though, as the clown was charred and unconscious on the ground nearby.

"I'm still alive after all. I got lucky." Luffy said as he stretched his freed limbs. He began walking over to Sanji and Zoro, the two in a complete state of shock as they watched Luffy approach, talking quietly amongst themselves.

"I was worried about what was gonna happen for a while." Luffy continued as he reached them. It was true, because he could only use haki so long until he was forced to go without it. Zoro had managed to get over his shock now, but it had been replaced with a weariness as he looked over to the remaining Marines, Smoker and Tashigi included.

"It seems we still have some problems." He said, getting both Sanji and Luffys attention.

"Oh, Smokeys still here." The straw-hatted teen noticed.

"Corner those pirates!" With a roar, the plaza was filled with Marines from all angles. It seemed that there had been Marines waiting outside the plaza for them.

"Here they come!" Sanji said as he turned to face the incoming marines.

"It's getting crazy!" Luffy said as he jumped out of the way of Buggy Pirates that were being thrown back by the Marines. When someone grabbed the back of his shirt, he nearly went to attack them before he smelled a familiar scent.

"Hey, Luffy," Zoro said, having been the one to grab him.

"Oh, Zoro!" Luffy grinned.

"We need to get out of here!" The swordsman said. None of the marines were attacking them yet, too focused on the Buggys Pirates, but it was only a matter of time until they were all that was left.

"We'd better hurry back to the ship or we'll never be able to leave the island. We won't be able to enter the Grand Line!" Sanji told Luffy.

"What?! That's not good!" That was all it took for Luffy to get running, Zoro and Sanji close behind.

"The Straw Hat gang is running away!"

"Capture them!"

"Go after them!" No matter how many marines tried stopping them, the three easily took them down in their mad dash to the harbor.

"We'd better hurry or we'll be in trouble! Move! Move! Move!" Luffy yelled to the two, his smile still on his face as he laughed loudly.

"Which way do we go?!" Sanji asked, yelling over the rain.

"This way! I smell the sea over here!" Luffy answered as he continued on down the street. It was a little harder to smell due to all the rain, but he was still able to smell the faint scent of saltwater.

"There they are!" A shout from behind them clued them into the fact that there was still a horde of Marines chasing them.

"What persistent bastards! Should we stop and fight?" Zoro asked.

"We don't have time for that. Oh? Whos that woman?!" Sanji asked, spotting Tashigi ahead of them. They reached her quickly seeing as they were running right to her and she wasn't moving. It was clear she held a grudge against Zoro- Luffy could feel it- and Zoro told them he would handle it. Sanji wasn't happy that Zoro was now attacking a lady with his sword, but after yelling some threats and a warning, he and Luffy ran off to continue towards the ship.

As they continued running, Luffy saw another person ahead of them. With all the rain, Luffy couldn't tell who it was until they were visible, but once close enough he saw that it was Smoker.

"So you're finally here, Straw Hat Luffy..." The marine said, standing beside a large bike.

"Didn't I tell you that you cant enter the Grand Line unless you beat me first?" He asked. Both Luffy and Sanji stopped to look at the man and a smile lit up on Luffys face.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." Luffy said.

"You're such an airhead..." Smoker muttered. Beside him, Sanji leaned closer to Luffy.

"Hey, Luffy..."

"Sanji, go on ahead. I'll be right there." Luffy reassured.

"I don't know about that. This is the end for you." Smoker continued, taking a step forward. Luffy could feel Sanjis apprehension, stopping the chef from going on ahead.

"Go!" Luffy repeated. The conviction in the straw-hatted teen's voice was enough for Sanji to get moving again, running around Smoker and towards where Luffy had said the harbor was, leaving Smoker to Luffy.

Lightning continued flashing above them as the marine and pirate stared each other down. Water poured off of Luffys straw hat, but he was undeterred, ready for a fight.

"I'll beat you and enter Paradise again. I'm the man who'll be King of the Pirates!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Enough of your idle talk!" Smoker barked, his fists turning to smoke that trailed to the ground, and then surrounded Luffy. Before it could do so completely, Luffy grabbed the edge of a nearby roof, pulling himself out of the smoke and towards the building.

It worked for a second, but the smoke only continued following him. Before he could do something about it, Luffys grip slipped due to the rain and he fell back to the ground, but again, the smoke followed him. It wrapped around Luffy and lifted him into the air, but like Krieg's net, Luffys arms and legs were exposed.

"Gum Gum Bazooka!" Luffy yelled, throwing back his two fists and then shooting them into Smoker's chest. It was obvious the smoke man expected the attack to go right through him, but when it didn't, Smoker was forced to let Luffy go as he flew back from the force.

Luffy landed gently on the ground, a grin still on his face as he watched Smoker get back up.

"How were you able to hit me?" Smoker asked, Luffy feeling his confusion and surprise; emotions that didn't show on the man's face.

"Shishishi~! New World secret!" Luffy laughed. Smokers frown deepened and he sent his smoke towards Luffy again, but another pistol to the face from Luffy stopped that attack as well.

"You're a good guy Smokey, but I've got to go back to Paradise! I won't be beaten here!" Luffy told the man as he watched him fly into the wall of the building. As much as Luffy wanted to stick around and have an honest to goodness fight, he knew he had to get to the Merry.

As Luffy ran past Smoker and down the street, there was a second where Luffy felt the presence of someone else nearby. Before he could look for them, a sudden gust of strong wind swept him, as well as Smoker, off the ground and flying down the street. When the wind dissipated, Luffy sat up in a pile of rubble, confused.

"What just happened?" He asked, looking around and seeing Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji beside him.

"Luffy!" Namis yell clued Luffy into the Merry drifting away from them in the water.

"Nami!" Luffy answered, jumping to his feet.

"We'd better hurry up or the ship will be swept away!" Sanji yelled.

"Okay! I got it!" Luffy yelled, running the opposite way of the Merry. The others watched him in confusion as he jumped into the air and over a railing that he grabbed onto, letting his body stretch.

"Gum Gum..." Luffy called.

"What?" Sanji asked.

"W-Wait!" Usopp shrieked.

"I have a bad feeling..." Zoro muttered.

"Rocket!" Luffy yelled, shooting himself at the three.

"Ah, I knew it..." Zoro said as the three tried running away from Luffy. It was no use as the rubber man reached them, grabbing them all and holding tight as they rocketed towards the Merry. They landed safely in the sails, falling down to the deck in a heap.

"Everyone..." Nami said, relieved that they'd made it. The water was still roaring around them, waves crashing dangerously into the Merry as the heavy wind carried them through. Lightning was still going off, rain was pouring and the clouds blotted out the entire sky, covering it in a blanket of grey and black.

They were all quick to get to work trying to keep the Merry afloat. When it was clear they wouldn't be capsizing anytime soon, they all went to the front of the ship, watching as a mountain range became more and more visible.

"See that light?" Nami asked with a smile.

"Is that a lighthouse of the island?" Usopp asked, clinging to the mast in fear.

"It's a guiding light. The entrance to the Grand Line lies ahead of that light." Nami informed him.

"The Grand Line is ahead of that light..." Luffy said softly, a nostalgic smile on his face.

"What do you wanna do?" Nami asked him.

"B-but there's no reason to enter during a storm like this..." Usopp tried reasoning, though everyone else seemed to have different ideas as they smiled to each other.

"Okay then! Shall we hold a launching ceremony for setting sail on the grand ocean?" Nami asked.

"Hey!" Usopp yelled, though he was ignored.

"Yeah!" Luffy cried happily.

"Let's do it! In order to find the All Blue!" Sanji said, placing his leg on top of a nearby barrel.

"In order to be the Pirate King!" Luffy said next.

"In order to become the greatest swordsman!" Zoro continued, adding his own foot.

"In order to draw the world map!" Nami said. Luffy could feel all of the happiness and excitement, but from Usopp, there was a feeling of being flustered and scared.

"I-in order... to become a brave warrior of the sea!" The sniper eventually said before raising his own foot up. He felt the sniper's emotions ease until even he was wearing a small smile of his own, everyone looking down at their feet.

"We're going... to the Grand Line!" Luffy exclaimed. At once, they all raised their legs high.

"Yeah!" Bringing their legs down together, they destroyed the barrel below them. With spirits high, they turned to look to the lighthouse again, knowing that it was their destination.

Even though the wind was helping them out, it was still going to take a little while for them to reach it, but with how giddy they all were, they were fine with standing there and just watching it grow closer.

With how much rain was surrounding them, Luffy had a hard time even picking up the scent of his crew surrounding him, but his haki was left unhindered which is how he noticed the incoming presence beside the Merry.

"Huh?" The crew looked to Luffy as he said this, becoming more and more used to their Captain noticing something that they couldn't.

"What is it? It's not the marines, right?" Usopp asked, his joy changing quickly to fear at the idea that the navy had somehow managed to follow them through this storm.

"I don't know, the rain is messing with my sense of smell," Luffy said, eyebrows scrunched together as he walked to the railing. The crew followed him, Usopp more hesitantly than the rest, and when Luffy peered over the railing to the tiny boat beside the Merry he was confused to find it empty.

"Only you, a pirate wanted alive, could annoy someone so much that they'd rather kill you than get your 360 million berry bounty." The effect was immediate as a smile, as large as possible, grew on Luffy face. Zoro and Sanji were in a defensive position immediately as they turned to look at the voice while Usopp and Nami screamed in surprise.

"Shishishi! Sabo!" Luffy called out, running over to the blonde standing in the middle of Merry's deck. His brother smiled at him, bracing himself as Luffy threw all of his weight into him.

"Good to see you too Luffy." Sabo laughed. While Luffy was preoccupied with hugging him, Sabo let his eyes drift over to the crew standing in stunned silence in front of him. The swordsman and the blonde had shifted out of their defensive stances the second Luffy showed he knew Sabo and Sabo was glad to see that they were at least ready to fight when necessary. The long nose and redhead had been surprised and scared to see him, which was a reaction he was used to so it didn't bother him all that much.

"What are you doing here?" Luffy asked, pulling away from his hug to look at Sabo's face. The teen had felt Sabo's feelings, could feel him assessing his crew members, but he knew Sabo would like them.

After all, Luffy had the best crew.

"Well I meant to see you back on Loguetown, but somebody got a little too hasty and didn't leave me the opportunity like they promised," Sabo said with an irritated sigh and a shake of his head. Luffy didn't question who this someone was, not really caring as long as he got to see his brother.

"I heard you were heading back to Paradise soon so I asked if I could tag along on a little trip here to see you off." Sabo further explained.

"Ah! I missed you! And Ace, and Pops and everyone else too!" Luffy admitted, his smile still stretched across his face. If he wasn't made of rubber, his face would hurt from how big and how long he held the smile up.

"I've missed you too Lu. Now, why don't you introduce me to your crew? You of all people should know that they're unable to do it themselves." Sabo said, nudging his brother and gesturing to the still gaping crew. Usopp and Nami had dropped jaws while Sanji and Zoro's eyes were wide. It was obvious they recognized Sabo or at least had a guess as to who he was.

Blinking, Luffy realized all of the shock and surprise behind him and turned to face his crew, laughing.

"Oh yeah, Sabo, this is my crew! That's Zoro, he's a swordsman that uses three swords! Isn't that cool?! And that's Sanji, he's our chef! His food tastes better than Thatchs! Oh, and that's Nami, our navigator, and that's Usopp, the sniper! He's also Yasopps son!" Luffy explained, pointing out each member as he introduced them. Sabo nodded along, committing the names to memory as he heard them.

"Guys, this is my older brother Sabo!" Luffy said, now gesturing to the blonde beside him. Sabo took his top hat off and gave a bow, smiling politely to them.

"Pleasure to meet you. I hope Luffy hasn't been too much trouble for you." Sabo said, making Luffy pout, mumbling that he wasn't any trouble at all.

"Oh, no, he's been fine." They all said in unison, much to Sabo's amusement.

"Really now? He hasn't given you any trouble?" He asked as he stood from his bow, replacing his hat on his head.

"Nope. Not at all." They continued to say, shaking their heads.

"You've found a good group of people Luffy," Sabo said, wiping the pout from his brother's face and replacing it with his cheery smile.

"Right?!" He asked with another laugh. The rain was still pouring around them, soaking them all to the bone, but no one minded in the slightest. What with the entrance to the Grand Line being so close, and now Sabo being here, no one even thought about moving inside and getting dry.

"How long are you staying?" Luffy asked. There was a flicker of something inside Sabo now, a deeper emotion of dread and fear that confused the youngest and he was sure to show it on his face.

Knowing he'd been caught, Sabo sighed.

"About that. There's something... rather important that I need to talk to you about Luffy." Sabo said gently, tone lowering. Luffy felt that bundle of bad emotions slowly growing in his brother, along with a worry. For the first time, Luffys smile fell as he looked over his brother closer.

"It's... not exactly something I think we should talk about out here. It has to do with-" Sabo stopped, looking over to the crew who were listening curiously. Luffy looked over to them as well now, guessing what Sabo was hinting to.

"I haven't told them about what happened in the facility, but they know it's a bad place," Luffy said in a quiet voice, so low that the crew couldn't hear over the rain, but Sabo could hear it just fine.

"We can talk in the kitchen. We'll be right back." Luffy told his crew, because even though he was going to tell them about the facility eventually, now was not the time. Especially not when everyone was so happy to go to the Grand Line.

The crew seemed to understand that whatever needed to be discussed was important as they nodded, all heading back to the front of the ship to give them some privacy. Luffy was grateful to have found a crew like his as he led the way to the kitchen, Sabo close behind.

When they were inside the relatively small room, Sabo shut the door firmly behind them, listening to make sure there were no eavesdroppers- not that he expected any. It was more of a force of habit than anything else.

"Luffy, I'm gonna need you to sit down for this, alright?" Sabo asked, moving to the nearby table himself because even he wasn't going to be able to say this standing. Luffys suspicion only grew as he nodded, sitting across from Sabo. The blonde's emotions had only grown in intensity- the anxiety, the fear, the worry, the dread- all of it to the point that Luffy couldn't take it anymore.

"This is going to be hard to hear, and I should have told you sooner. I know I should have, and I'm sorry I didn't, but I could never find the right time to do it and I didn't- well, honestly, I was scared." Sabo tried explaining, losing all the eloquence he usually had when speaking as he rambled. Luffys frown only continued to deepen, not liking where this was going, especially seeing as it had something to do with the facility.

Taking a deep breath, Sabo closed his eyes for a second, gathering himself.

"Alright, here goes." He said quietly, opening his eyes and looking to Luffy.

"Do you remember back when we found the other facility? And Ruta and I were in charge of getting all the information we could while you and Ace got the kids out?" Sabo asked. Luffy remembered that all clearly so he nodded, wanting to know where this was going.

"And you remember when you and Ace came to check on me? Marco was with me and you noticed that I had a lot of bad feelings?" Sabo continued to ask, and again, Luffy nodded.

"I told you at the time that I saw something in the papers that gave me some bad memories, and while that was sort of the case, it wasn't exactly the entire story," Sabo said, his voice getting quieter and quieter as he spoke. He wasn't looking at Luffy anymore and was instead looking at the table while Luffy shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"You see... a lot of those papers had pictures of doctors that worked in that facility. As I was going through them, I saw one of them and realized that it was... It was Haru." Sabo said, swallowing hard as he got the words out. Luffy visibly paled at the name, lips thinning and fists clenching, but he didn't say anything yet.

"I looked over it, and it said that Haru had been working at that facility only a few days before we'd gotten there. Luffy... Haru is still working in facilities..." Sabo said, voice as low as it could go where Luffy could still hear him.

As Luffy tried processing those words he was vaguely aware of the fact that his breathing had become more rapid than usual. He knew that his fists were clenched so tight that his nails were digging into the skin, close to drawing blood. He knew that his eyes were wide and unblinking, even starting to sting from lack of moisture. He knew all of this, yet he couldn't do anything. He couldn't move. He couldn't blink. Even though he was breathing heavier than usual, it felt like he wasn't getting any air at all, that he was suffocating.

Sound was muffled. His vision was blurry. He couldn't see Sabo in front of him, he couldn't see the kitchen around him, couldn't see the table. He couldn't hear the rain outside, couldn't hear his harsh breathing, couldn't hear the waves hitting the Merry. He could barely even register that he was still sitting.

Distantly, he felt someone put their hand on his back. Luffy tried using that sensation to ground himself because touch had always been a sure-fire way to help Luffy when he was in need.

Slowly, his senses came back to him. First, it was his sight, the blurriness turning into shapes, and then clearing to actual objects. Sound was next as the muffle slowly went away and he was able to hear the voice beside him telling him to take deep breaths.

"With me Luffy. Follow my breathing. In, and then out. Like this." Luffy knew the voice, but he didn't try to place it with a face and instead focused on the words. He hadn't known he was hyperventilating, but as he followed the persons breathing like they said, he could feel the tingling sensation in his body, the light-headedness.

It was slow going, but Luffy had managed to come down from what was no doubt an anxiety attack. He still felt a little dizzy and tingly, but other than that he was breathing normally again. Sabo was sitting beside him, fidgeting and looking at the table again.

"I'm sorry Luffy. When I found out, Marco said that I should tell you and Ace soon after, but I was never able to do it." Sabo said almost meekly.

"D-Does Ace know n-now?" Luffy asked, trying to regain the ability to talk. Sabo sighed again, heavier than before.

"I told him right before I left to head to Loguetown. There's... more though." Sabo said. Luffy already knew he wasn't going to like it, because what more could there be? Knowing Haru was still alive was bad enough, so what else could there be that was worse?

"The reason I decided I needed to tell you and Ace now was because of what I found not too long ago. You know I joined the Revolutionaries and one of their goals is to liberate facilities and get information on other facilities." Sabo began again, Luffy nodding as he followed along.

"I've mostly done information runs since I'm still new, but I've even started going on scouting missions. Turns out, having super hearing is a nice perk to have when you're a spy." Sabo said, the corner of his mouth twitching ever so slightly at the amusement at the thought.

"On one of our scouting missions, I overheard some doctors talking to each other. They mentioned Haru, and how he worked there, mentioned how... _great_ of a doctor he was." Sabo said, spitting the word 'great' out with such venom that anyone would be able to feel it without Luffys abilities.

"They also said that he had spent a lot of time in the New World ever since we escaped, but now he's heading back into Paradise," Sabo said, again, his words slowing and tone turning gentle as he spoke. It was Luffys turn to swallow hard now, because he'd been so excited to head back into Paradise. Now he wasn't so sure. Not when Haru would be somewhere there too.

"I wanted to make sure this wasn't just some gossip, especially when I knew you were close to heading back there yourself. When we liberated that facility, I made sure I was there when it happened so I could look for anything on Haru while I was there. I found another paper like at the facility we found, and it showed that Haru had been there. There was even a note on it that mentioned relocation, but nothing else. I'm not entirely sure, but it's possible that Haru is going to be in Paradise as well." Sabo finished.

Luffy sat quietly for a minute, trying to take in everything he'd just heard. Sure, Paradise was big, it was highly unlikely that Luffy would stumble upon Haru again, but just the possibility that it could happen? That terrified Luffy. He'd thought all this time that Haru had been killed along with all the other doctors when the Whitebeards had saved them. He'd never had any reason to believe otherwise. Now he was facing the very real fact that Haru was, in fact, alive and well. Working in facilities.

"Luffy... how has Aces wave been?" Sabo suddenly asked, surprising Luffy from his thoughts.

"Aces wave?" Luffy asked, pulling it up as he asked. Sabos was bright and opaque, leading right to his brother's chest. Beside it was Marcos, stretching outside the Merrys kitchen, and it was just as bright and opaque as Sabos. Finally was Aces, and as Luffy inspected it closer than the other two, he saw that it seemed to be doing just as well.

"It's fine right now. I think he was in some fights not too long ago though. I saw it get a little lighter. I told Jozu when I called to tell Ace to be more careful. Why?" Luffy asked, letting the waves disappear from his sight.

"It's just... I don't know how Ace is handling this." Sabo said slowly, his own eyebrows scrunched in thought.

"The two times I called him he wasn't on the Moby. Everyone kept saying he'd be mad cause he wasn't there to say hi to me." Luffy said, remembering back to the two times he'd called.

"After I told Ace he kind of... exploded. I think I managed to calm him down at least a little, and I talked to Marco right after. He promised he'd talk to Ace about it, but when I tried calling Ace back later he never picked up. I think at the very least he's ignoring my calls, but you said he wasn't even on the Moby?" Sabo asked, Luffy nodding in confirmation.

"Do you have your snail? I left mine back at the base." Sabo asked next, looking around the kitchen for it.

"It's outside. Should I get it?" When Sabo nodded, Luffy stood from the table to go retrieve it. His mind was racing a thousand thoughts a second, and he felt a little wobbly as he walked, but he managed to get outside without too much issue.

He could see his crew still at the front of the ship, feelings filled with worry and concern for him. They were also getting closer to the entrance of Paradise. The thought had excited him before, but now it made him sick.

Grabbing the snail, he noticed that his crew had spotted him, but no one said anything. They only continued watching him, their concern rising as he grabbed the snail and went back inside. Sabo was still sitting at the table with a frown. His emotions hadn't gotten any better and Luffys mixed with the blondes were making for a very negatively filled Luffy.

Setting the snail on the table, Luffy sat down and immediately began dialing the number for the Moby, handing it over to Sabo. Luffy was filled with too much anxiety, worry, concern, fear, dread to even attempt having a conversation with everyone back on the Moby.

As the snail slowly rang, the tension in the air grew. Finally, there was an answer.

"Whos this?" Sabo let out a relieved sigh to hear the familiar voice of Marco. If he wanted to get some straight answers, the best one to get them from would be Marco himself.

"Marco. It's Sabo and Luffy." Sabo greeted. The snail blinked in shock before responding.

"Sabo and Luffy, huh? So you two met up, yoi?" Marco asked, his tone much more lighthearted than anything else in the room.

"I heard Luffy was heading to Paradise again so I thought it'd be a good idea to tell him about Haru," Sabo explained, glancing over to Luffy again as he said this. Luffy tried not to let the name affect him as much as it had last time, but it did regardless. It wasn't as bad, but his fists did clench tighter than they should and it was harder to breathe evenly.

"I see.." Marco said, knowing that Luffy most likely hadn't taken the news well if the teen's silence was anything to go on.

"We were wondering where Ace was though. He hasn't answered any of my calls and Luffy said he hasn't been around whenever he called." Sabo said, getting to the point of the call. There was an audible sigh from Marco before he spoke again.

"He's not here. After you told him about you-know-who and he ran off, I went to calm him down like I said, yoi. You know how your brother can be though, and even with Whiskey's help, it was no good. He was determined to go after him." Marco said. Sabo and Luffy could practically see the man rubbing his forehead as he spoke.

"He told Pops and I that he was going to go look for him. We tried stopping him, yoi, but he's a stubborn one. I made sure to stick a mini den den on his Striker, but knowing him he hasn't even noticed it's there." Neither Sabo nor Luffy liked the idea of Ace going off on his own after Haru, but at least they knew what he was doing now.

"Thank you, Marco," Sabo said with another sigh of his own now.

"It was no problem, Sabo. I'll talk to you two later, yoi." Marco said, Sabo nodding in agreement as the snail hung up.

Luffy had remained silent throughout the conversation, head still reeling. Haru was still alive, Haru was in Paradise, Ace was going after Haru, Ace was alone. The thoughts ran through his head over and over to the point that Luffy was getting a headache.

"Luffy? Luffy, why don't you go lay down. I'll explain to your crew that you need some rest and help them through Reverse Mountain if you want." Sabo said, his voice gentle again as he laid a hand on Luffys shoulder. The teen shook his head though, denying that idea.

He was a Captain now. He had to take care of his own crew.

"I'm fine," Luffy mumbled, standing from the table and grabbing the snail. As he left the galley- going to return the snail to its place on the barrel outside- Sabo watched with worry. He knew Luffy should rest, take the time to process what he'd been told, but Luffy could be just as- if not more- stubborn than Ace could be.

With yet another sigh, Sabo stood from the table as well, following his brother outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After all this time, Luffy and Ace are finally made aware of the fact that Haru is still alive! And not only that, but he's headed back to Paradise, which is where Luffy is headed as well.
> 
> Coincidence? Well, we'll just have to wait and see!
> 
> So this is one of the big changes being made to this universe compared to canon. I've seen some people already speculating how things will change seeing as Teach isn't alive in this universe, and now with Haru, we'll be seeing some new plot points being created while also tying up loose ends that were created with Teachs death. Things, in my opinion at least, will be picking up now and will start getting interesting.
> 
> In any case, Loguetown was wrapped up in one nice long chapter and we'll be moving right on into Reverse Mountain as well as everything else that entails. So far I don't plan on using any of the filler arcs in this story that the anime had, but I may add filler arcs of my own in the future. That's still undecided. For now though, there won't be a filler arc between Loguetown and Reverse Mountain, so in the next chapter, you can expect to see everyone's favorite whale; Laboon!
> 
> Final note; these next two weeks are going to be absolutely crazy for me. It's the last two weeks of this semester which means final papers and final exams galore. This is just to say that I may be a little late getting the next chapter up, and if that's the case, it'll be another week at most. I should be fine, but again, this is just a warning so you guys have a heads up of what to expect.
> 
> And now, to say thank you for everything you amazing readers! I hope to see you all next time with the next chapter!


	21. Laboon the Giant Whale

It was clear to the entire crew that there was something wrong with Luffy. All throughout their time on Loguetown- and even after they'd left- Luffy had been nothing but smiles. When Sabo had shown up, he'd been in an even better mood if possible.

It was when Sabo said they needed to talk that things changed.

After Luffy had gone inside the galley, the small crew of four had gathered at the front of the Merry, quietly speculating what could be happening. They knew that whatever was being talked about had to do with something bad, that much was obvious. What that bad thing was, however, they had no idea. Speculation included a family member passing to something happening with the Whitebeards, but none of their theories had much evidence.

When a half-hour had passed and Luffy had come out to grab the den den, they had all seen the startling difference in their Captain for the first time. His skin was much paler than it had been when he'd left, and there was a deep frown on his face. His eyes were glazed, as if in deep thought, and when he'd noticed their staring, they were all met with a look of such raw emotion that it threw them all.

As quick as it had happened though, it was gone. Luffy had grabbed the snail and gone back into the kitchen, leaving them with more questions than answers.

Another ten minutes passed as they waited, glancing occasionally to the kitchen. They had thought of eavesdropping but had quickly dashed that idea as quickly as they'd had it. They may be curious, but they would never invade Luffys privacy like that, not after everything he's done so far for them.

When Luffy came out again, snail in hand, it seemed like whatever conversation had been happening was now over. Sabo came out only a minute later, confirming that idea, but like Luffy, the blonde didn't look unaffected by whatever had been talked about. His smile and carefree attitude was gone, replaced with the same frown as Luffy. Unlike Luffy, though, there was a concern and worry in his eyes that they could all see was clearly directed towards Luffy. It didn't pass any of their notice that the blonde was continuously sending the young Captain the same worried glances that they were.

Luffy seemed to expertly ignore all of those looks though as he joined his crew a the front of the ship, Sabo following close behind.

"Uh, Luffy, we're almost at the entrance." Nami finally said, breaking the tension. The rain had yet to even slow, but like before, no one was paying it any mind.

"Mm." Luffy hummed with a nod, eyes watching the incoming mountain carefully.

"That means I've got to head out now then," Sabo said with what sounded to be a regretful sigh. The crew looked to him, and then Luffy who didn't seem to be bothered by the words like they expected him to be. For how warm a welcome Sabo had gotten, they had expected a goodbye to be just as full of love and concern. They were proven wrong when Luffy remained stone-faced.

"Luffy, I'm not going to force you to do anything, Kami knows you wouldn't listen anyway, but you really should stop and take the time to at least think about what I've told you. If I hear anything else, you and Ace will be the first to hear about it, promise. Are you sure you don't want me to stay and help get you through Reverse Mountain? You could take the time to go rest." Sabo said. Luffy knew his brother wasn't lying about keeping them informed, and he knew he was only worried- hence his reiteration of his offer to stay and help- but Luffy had to do this himself.

Luffy knew he was being a little childish, but after hearing about Haru coming back, Luffy couldn't help but be irrationally angry at his blonde brother. He would never hate Sabo, but he was angry that he'd kept something so important from him for so long.

The rational part of his brain understood why Sabo had done it, and really, if he thought about it, he wasn't actually angry at Sabo. He was angry about everything else, angry that Haru was still alive, angry Haru was still working in facilities, angry at the world government for allowing facilities, angry Haru was going to Paradise again, but he was not angry at Sabo.

The crew could still feel the tension that seemed to double the more Sabo spoke, but they said nothing, expertly staying out of it. Not all of them had siblings, but they all knew better than to insert themselves in what looked to be a spat between the two brothers.

"I'll be fine. I'll miss you though." Luffy finally said after a sigh, turning to look at his blonde brother. And just like that, his anger towards Sabo was gone. Sabo looked relieved to hear Luffy speaking to him again and smiled a little.

"I'll miss you too, Lu. You stay safe and try not to get into too much trouble, please? For the sake of my health." The blonde asked, knowing it was a useless request. If Luffy wanted to do something, he would do it, no matter how much it made the people he knew worry.

"It was nice meeting all of you. Until next time." Sabo said to the crew, giving them a smile and another bow before walking over to the Merrys railing and jumping over it, down to the tiny boat that awaited him. Luffy and the others went over and the straw-hatted teen waved exuberantly, his bad mood gone as he smiled and saw his brother off.

The crew wasn't quite sure how to handle the sudden change in moods that their Captain was experiencing, but they weren't going to question them lest they have to face the Luffy they'd seen earlier.

When Sabo was a ways away, Luffy turned to them next, smiling softer than before, but a smile none-the-less.

"Let's go to the Grand Line." He told them firmly. They all returned his smile with one of their own, nodding.

"Mm!"

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"Hey, we reached the Red Line!"

"What?!" The crew all ran to Luffy at the shout, everyone looking to see a giant wall of rock in front of them.

"This can't be for real! The damn ocean really is flowing up the mountain!" Zoro exclaimed, looking through binoculars as the water went up the mountain. Nami had mentioned earlier that she'd not only heard rumors but saw on the map that there were canals leading to the mountain and that must be their way up. Zoro had been skeptical of course, but Nami merely insisted that that was the only way and Sanji had agreed wholeheartedly with her. Luffy hadn't cared one way or the other, as long as they made it into Paradise.

Usopp, however, had been too focused on the rudder and the strong current to have much of an opinion on how they were getting up the mountain.

They had drawn the sails per Namis request after that, and that was when Luffy had spotted the Red Line.

"The entrance to the Grand Line..." Nami said softly in awe.

"I-I-I can't see the top because of the clouds!" Usopp said, noticing that the mountain went up so high that it reached the clouds. A sudden jerk of their ship nearly flung Luffy off, but he managed to save himself before that could happen. He had plenty of experiences with rough waters so he wasn't too concerned.

"We're being sucked in!" Usopp said, looking to see they were now being rushed towards the mountain due to the current.

"Hold the rudder steady!" Nami ordered.

"We're on it!" Usopp and Sanji said, running inside to do as told.

"Nami, wheres the entrance? We're gonna crash into the rocks if we keep going this way!" Zoro said, looking to see that that was where they were headed at the moment.

"Nami! What do we do?!" Usopp asked, he and Sanji doing their best to hold the rudder steady.

"Keep going straight ahead!" Nami yelled, a smile on her face. Luffy could feel her confidence, not a hint of hesitation, and smiled as well. He didn't know what they were doing, but he trusted his navigator.

"A-are you serious?!" Usopp asked incredulously.

"Just do it!" Nami said again as Luffy steadied himself beside her.

"Is that the canal entrance?" Luffy asked her, having seen the same crack in the mountain that she had.

"Most likely!" She shouted over the rain, holding herself steady on the Merrys railing as she stared ahead. It was then that Zoro looked through the binoculars, spotting the water flowing upwards.

"We gotta make our way through those water gates just right! Otherwise, the ship'll be busted into pieces!" Nami told them all.

"We're getting off course! More to the right! Right! Right!" Luffy shouted to Usopp and Sanji.

"The right?! Go starboard!" Usopp shouted to Sanji, the two struggling to do so. At that moment, the rudder completely snapped, Usopp and Sanji falling to the ground. Luffy, Nami, and Zoro all shrieked at the sight, but Luffy was quick to notice that they were now very quickly heading towards one of the water gates.

"Gum Gum Balloon!" Luffy shouted, jumping off the ship, inbetween the Merry and the gate as he inflated. The cushion he created was enough to bounce the ship back in the right direction.

"Luffy! Grab on!" Zoro called, holing a hand out for the rubber man. Luffy didn't hesitate to deflate, immediately stretching his hand out to Zoros and grabbing on, slingshotting himself towards the swordsman and safely back onto the Merry. Usopp and Sanji were cheering happily in the kitchen while Nami sighed in relief.

Now that they were back on course, they swiftly made their way up the mountain, the water carrying them along. Now that there was no rudder to take care of, Usopp and Sanji joined them at the front of the ship to watch as they neared the top.

No longer was it raining. The wind was still blowing harshly around them, but that was more because of the speed they were traveling at rather than the storm they'd been in previously.

"Now it's just a straight shot to the summit!" Nami called out gleefully.

"Awesome!" Luffy called out as he watched. Beside him, Zoro was smiling happily as well, not saying anything, and behind him, Usopp and Sanji were dancing still.

"We're in the clouds!" Luffy exclaimed, climbing onto the Merrys figurehead despite the dangers. For the first time since they'd been to Loguetown, the sun shone brightly. Now that they were above the clouds, there was nothing to block it anymore. They were nearing the top of the mountain and they could clearly see the summit where all the canals converged, spraying water like a geyser.

"Look! The summit! It's the summit!" Nami cheered. The spray from the water covered them as they finally reached the summit, flying momentarily in the air.

"Yahoo!" Luffy whooped, holding onto the Merrys head. Everyone watched with smiles as they successfully landed on the canal leading downward, plummeting to the bottom of the mountain as fast as they'd climbed it.

"The One Piece is up ahead somewhere! Go!" Luffy cheered.

"All we gotta do now is go down!" Nami yelled. Spirits were high and Luffy basked in everyone's good emotions, his smile going from ear to ear. Even though he'd just found out Haru was also going to be back in Paradise, Luffy couldn't find it in himself to care right now. Not when he was finally back to the Grand Line.

"Paradise!" Luffy said wistfully, his voice drowned out by the rushing wind and water. Even Usopp wasn't scared. The usually fearful liar was wearing as big a smile as everyone else as he held on tightly to the mast to keep from falling off.

Luffy, still on Merry's figurehead, held onto his hat tightly as he watched the path in front of them. It seemed like it was a straight shot to the bottom, but when he sensed a faint presence he thought otherwise. Amongst all the good feelings coming from his crew, there was a faint despair trying to make its way into Luffy, and with how muted the emotion was, Luffy determined that whatever was feeling this emotion was more than likely an animal.

"Did you hear that?" Zoro asked, his voice hard to hear over the wind.

"Huh? What'd you say?" Nami asked, still smiling widely as she turned to look at Zoro.

"Didn't you hear that strange sound?" Zoro asked again. Luffy listened closer now, hearing it too.

"Isn't it the wind? There must be a lot of unusual landforms." Nami said, still unperturbed.

"I think there's something down there. An animal." Luffy called back to them.

"An animal?" Sanji asked. Usopp pulled down one of his magnifiers over his eye and looked through the clouds.

"What's that?" He asked as he tried making out the thing through the fog.

"Nami-san! I see a mountain up ahead!" Sanji called, having climbed up the rigging to get a better view.

"A mountain?! That can't be!" She said in confusion. Shed made sure to pour over her map of Reverse Mountain, and there was nothing about another mountain at the bottom of this one.

"But it's really there!" Sanji said, pointing ahead to what he was seeing.

"After passing the Twin Capes up ahead, there should be nothing but ocean!" Nami said a little worried now.

"It's not a mountain! It's an animal!" Luffy insisted again, this 'mountain' becoming visible to everyone now. They got close enough to the bottom that the clouds cleared, showing them a large black mass.

"An animal?! That looks like a black wall to me!" Usopp shrieked.

"It's a whale!" Zoro yelled, hanging onto the railing.

"A w-w-w-whale?!" Usopp shrieked again, his fear drowning out any happiness that had been there moments ago.

"Should we fight?" Sanji asked.

"Idiot! There's no way we can fight that!" Nami yelled, her own fear rising.

"B-b-b-but, our path is blocked!" Usopp said, not knowing any other solution.

"Wait a second... If it looks like a wall from this close... Where are its eyes?" Sanji asked, a feeling of dread forming now.

"That's right! It's possible that he may not have noticed us!" Nami said in relief.

"But unless we do something, we'll run into it!" Zoro reminded them.

"We can get through to the left! Port! Hard to port!" He called.

"But the rudder is broken!" Usopp yelled back fearfully, staring at the broken remains of said rudder.

"Do something! I'll help too!" Zoro said, running over to help.

"Oh, yeah! I've got an idea!" Luffy yelled, running off and leaving behind a confused Nami.

"Luffy? What are you doing?!" She didn't get a response as her Captain ran inside. Usopp, Sanji, and Zoro were all struggling to move the broken piece of would that was their rudder while Nami held on tight to the railing in fear.

As Luffy ran into the Merry, he quickly loaded and then lit a cannon, waiting for the inevitable boom. He could feel the fear of his crew rising, very nearly influencing him, but he did his best to block it out. It'd do him no good to be terrified right now when they needed him.

With a loud boom, Luffy let out a relieved sigh, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he felt the Merry begin slowing down. His relief was short-lived though as a loud thunk behind him clued him in to the fact that Merry's figurehead had snapped off and was now sitting outside the door behind him.

"Ack! My special seat!" He shrieked in a mixture of surprise and anger. There was a momentary silence as everyone came to terms that they weren't going to die just yet.

"Let's get out of here before he does notice us!" Zoro called, jumping up from the floor where he'd been trying to move the rudder.

"Is his body too big that he didn't notice the cannon attack?" Sanji asked, also joining the swordsman.

"Who knows, but let's not stay to find out!" Zoro answered, Usopp coming to help row the Merry out of the way of the whale. It was too late though, they didn't make it far at all before the whale was opening its mouth, letting out a loud roar.

"Ah! My ears!" Sanji yelled in pain as he and Usopp struggled to move the large oar together.

"Paddle! Just paddle!" Usopp repeated like a mantra.

"We have to get away from him!" Zoro yelled next, the three of them in a panic.

"Luffy!" Nami said, fear in her eyes as they began sailing past the large eye of the whale. Luffy had walked back to the front of the ship, seeing the spot where Merry's head used to be.

Maybe he was drawing all that pent-up anger from finding out about Haru, but at that moment as he glared into the whale's eye, Luffy felt nothing but rage as he thought about the loss of his favorite seat.

"You...! What the hell did you do to my special seat?!" Luffy roared, surprising Nami with the heat behind his words. There wasn't even a second for Nami to explain what had happened before Luffy had flung his fist into the whale's eye, much to everyone's fear and anger.

"Dumbass!" They roared in unison, tears streaming down their faces at the thought that they weren't getting away now.

When the whale didn't immediately move its eye to look at them, they sighed in relief, but just as they did that, the eye moved, looking directly at them.

"How was that?! Bring it on, you bastard!" Luffy roared, readying his fists again, only to be kicked down by Usopp and Zoro.

"Shut up already, you idiot!" They barked. Luffy reigned in his anger enough to not yell at his crewmates, but he was still ready to fight the whale.

After another pause, the whale opened its mouth, surprising the crew again.

"W-what?!" Nami asked, noticing that the whale was now sucking in the surrounding water, and by extension, the Merry.

With the sudden current, the Merry rocked harshly, knocking Luffy into the air. Before he was able to land safely back onto the deck, the Merry was carried away into the whale's mouth leaving nothing but ocean below him.

"Luffy!" He heard his crew call out to him in concern, but Luffy was able to save himself, stretching his arm out to one of the whale's teeth and clinging onto it. From there, he climbed up to the top of the whale where he sat down to rest.

"What do I do now... They've been eaten..." The rage was back twofold as Luffy stood on the whale's head, immediately beginning to punch it in the head.

"Hey, you! Spit them out! Give everyone back to me! Spit them out! I'm saying give them back!" Luffy yelled, fury on his face as he continued punching over and over. As he was doing this, the whale began going under the water, knocking Luffy down.

"You... You... You jerk!" The young Captain yelled, now stomping on the whale.

"You're diving into the water, aren't you?! Stop it! Hey! I'm telling you to stop! Hey! Please wait! Give me my friends back! Hey! I said stop it! We're gonna go on adventures! They're precious to me! Give them back!" In his yelling, the water was getting closer and closer to Luffy, but it was then he noticed a hatch on top of the whale's head.

"Huh?" Without hesitation, the boy walked over to it, opening it and peering inside. Seeing that there was nowhere else to go, Luffy shrugged before jumping inside. He only had a second to wonder why the inside of the whale had metal walls before everything was shaking and jolting. Not able to get good footing, Luffy was bounced around the walls like a bouncy ball, unable to do anything to stop it.

"What?! What's going on?! Huh?! Why?! Dizzy... Dizzy... I'm dizzy...!" Luffy yelled, eyes spinning as he was flung down the hall. Eventually, he was spat out of the tunnel and into a larger room with a river of water on the end.

"What is it this time? The sea? A river? A channel?" He only had until he finished talking to wonder before everything was shaking again, but this time, the room began tilting up, Luffy falling down despite his efforts to run up instead. As he slid down the floor, he noticed two presences near wherever he was falling, and seeing as they had no clue he was coming, he thought he should warn them.

"I can't stop!" He yelled to them, now running full force towards them seeing as there was nothing else he could do. He only saw the two for a split second before he ran into them, the door behind them burst open with the force of the three of them. As they began falling towards what looked like greenish water, the two began screaming loudly.

"This isn't good Miss Wednesday! It's a sea of gastric acid below us!" The man yelled, the woman only screaming in terror.

"Luffy?" The teen looked over at the sound of Zoros voice, grinning widely at the sight of the Merry.

"Hey! So everyone's okay? In any case, help me!" Luffy called as he and the other two with him plummeted into what was apparently gastric acids. Even though it wasn't entirely seawater, it was still enough to weaken Luffy as he struggled to swim to the top. It didn't matter though, because Zoro was there soon enough, grabbing him and pulling him back onto the Merry. They also got the girl and guy Luffy had knocked into the water out as well, depositing them by Luffy as the Captain sat on the railing.

"It's calmed down. The whales quiet now." Nami noticed, looking at the waves and seeing that they weren't as rough as before.

"Seems like it. Now... We did save you guys for the time being, but who are you?" Zoro asked the guy and girl on the deck. Sanji was fawning over the girl, but Nami and Usopp were giving them skeptical looks.

"Mr. 9, they're pirates." The girl said to 'Mr.9'.

"I-I know, Miss Wednesday. B-but if we talk to them, they should understand... perhaps..." Mr.9 replied. Luffy took the time to check their auras, seeing that the girls was as bright blue as could be, maybe even the brightest he'd ever seen it, while the guys was only a shade darker blue than what was normal.

"You thugs're still around?!" Everyone turned to look to the old man that had spoken.

"Don't make me say this yet again! I won't let you lay a finger on Laboon so long as I'm alive!" The old man shouted in determination.

"He's back," Usopp muttered.

"Whos that Pops?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Even if you say so, we cant leave." Miss Wednesday said, and her emotions reminded Luffy of Nami when he'd first met her.

"Taking down this whale is our mission. We won't let you lay a finger on our whale hunting this time!" Mr.9 continued, the two standing up, holding their large weapons.

"We'll open an air vent in his stomach! Let's go, baby!" Mr.9 shouted, the two of them aiming the bazooka like weapons upwards.

"Roger!" Miss Wednesday yelled back. With that, the two-shot cannonballs out of their weapons. Before it could do any damage, the old man ran towards them, jumping into the air and grabbing the cannonballs out of the sky. They exploded on impact, surprising the crew.

"That pops jumped straight into the bullets...!" Usopp said in a mixture of awe and surprise.

"Could it be... that he protected the whale?!" Sanji asked, feeling much the same way as Usopp.

"Stop this pointless resistance! If you want to protect the whale that badly, go right ahead. We'll turn it into food for our town!" Mr.9 said, his emotions changing darkly for a second while Miss Wednesday laughed beside him, and when Mr.9 finished talking, he joined in on the laughter. Luffy turned to frown at the two. He didn't know what was going on here, but what he was seeing, he didn't like.

"What's going on?" Nami asked, as confused as everyone else was. She didn't get an answer though as Luffy anger returned and he stood up, raising both his fists into the air.

"Huh?" Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday asked, noticing the menacing aura in front of them. They only briefly saw Luffys rage-filled features before they were both punched into each other, knocking them unconscious.

"Luffy...?" Usopp asked, surprised by the display of strength.

"I just... felt like hitting them." Luffy tried explaining, looking at Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday again.

"He had bad feelings." Luffy continued, pointing to Mr.9. The crew didn't ask any more than that, looking to the man Luffy was talking about with frowns. They still didn't know all that much about Luffys abilities, but they weren't going to ask about that now.

Once that was over with, the old man swam to the small island shaped boat nearby, everyone on the Merry joining them. They had Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday tied up to keep them from causing trouble, but with them being unconscious and with Luffy angry, they weren't really something that needed to be worried about.

"I thank you for saving me... but why?" The man asked.

"I wasn't trying to save you. I just don't like them." Luffy said.

"Huh?" The old man asked, not understanding. He didn't get an answer though, so he moved on. Luffy wasn't paying much attention anyway, more preoccupied with the tree he was attempting to climb. Attempt, because Usopp was trying to pull him down at the same time.

"Luffy? What are you trying to do? Stop it! Hey, Luffy! Stop it!" Luffy ignored him though, still trying to climb.

"Say, who're these guys? What're you doing inside this whale?" Luffy asked, ignoring Usopp.

"They're thugs from a nearby town. They're after the whale meat." The old man answered, expertly ignoring Usopp as he tried pulling Luffy from the tree.

"What're you trying to do?" Usopp asked desperately.

"If they capture Laboon, it can feed the townspeople for at least 2-3 years, so..." The man continued, trailing off.

"Laboon?" Nami asked now.

"It's the name of this whale. It's the world's largest whale, called the Island Whale, which live only in the West Blue. I won't let them have him as food. There's a reason he keeps hitting himself on the Red Line and howling at Reverse Mountain." He said, not looking at any of them.

"A reason?" Luffy asked, still clinging to the tree.

"Yeah. He's a whale with a human heart. And he's been devotedly waiting for a certain pirate group... for 50 long years..." They all listened intently as the old man told them the story of how he'd come to take care of Laboon. How the whale had traveled with pirates and how they'd left Laboon here for his safety, promising to return in a few short years.

"That was 50 years ago." He finished with a sigh, looking to the painted sky above them.

"50 years!" Luffy asked in surprise.

"Laboon has been waiting for those guys for 50 years?" Usopp asked with wide eyes.

"Is that why he continues to howl at the wall, hitting himself on it?" Nami asked.

"Yeah..."

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"This is an amazing canal. I'm surprised that he's still alive, having a hole like this inside his body." Zoro admired. The Merry was following the old man, Crocus', ship as he led them through a canal to what he promised would be outside.

"Is this also your playful mind?" Sanji asked louder to Crocus. The man was lounging on his lounge chair reading, not paying them much attention as they drifted along.

"A doctor's playful mind." He replied, not even turning to address them.

"Doctor?" Luffy asked, rechecking the old man's color and emotions out of habit. He'd checked Crocus already, finding that he was a normal blue with normal emotions, but to hear that he was a doctor still worried Luffy enough that he checked again. Doctors may not be as scary to him as they once used to be, but that didn't mean they didn't spark an anxiety that left him constantly weary around whoever claimed to be one.

"I may not look it, but I'm a doctor. I also ran a clinic on the cape a long time ago. It was just for a few years, but I was a ship's doctor." Crocus explained to them, still reading his paper. Luffy, who was sitting on the remaining neck of Merry's figurehead, nodded to the man, not saying anything more on the subject.

He had the idea of asking the man to join their crew- they did need a doctor after all- but Luffy couldn't find it in himself to ask. Crocus wasn't a bad guy, and from the few minutes Luffy'd been near him, he seemed pretty cool, but there was something holding him back. That anxiety, the ingrained fear, kept him from asking the simple question he wanted to ask.

"A doctor, huh? That's why the inside of the whale's body is like this... Then this is from the treatment." Usopp said, hands on his hips as they watched Crocus stand from his chair and walk over to a ladder on the wall. Luffy didn't know what treatment Usopp was talking about, but he didn't bother asking as Crocus reached the top of the ladder, turning to address them.

"That's right. When the whale is this big it's impossible to treat it from the outside." He told them, turning around on the ledge he was on and walking over to a crank.

"I'm going to open the doors." He announced next, turning the crank. They watched as the big metal doors in front of them slowly cracked open, showing the bright sunshine once again.

"There it is! The real sky!" Luffy cheered as the Merry drifted outside the whale and back into the fresh air. As cool as being inside a whale had been, he much preferred being outside.

"So it's really been 50 years then? Those pirates sure are keeping him waiting a long time..." Usopp said in astonishment, surprised Laboon was still waiting around after all this time.

"Idiot! This is the Grand Line. They're dead. No longer how long he waits, they won't come back." Sanji said, taking a puff from his cigarette.

"Yeah, it's true that 50 years ago the Grand Line was an uncharted sea more terrible and chaotic than it is now." Nami agreed, arms crossed over her chest as she spoke.

"Why are you talking so hopeless?! You don't know that for sure! They might come back!" Usopp insisted, running up between the two in the pirate's defense.

"It's a very touching story. A whale continues to believe in the promise his friends made... Right, Pops?" Usopp asked Crocus next, thinking the man would be on his side.

"Yeah... but reality is cruel. I confirmed it using reliable information. They ran away... from the Grand Line." Crocus admitted, looking off into the ocean as he told them this. Luffy felt Usopps hope diminish at the news, visibly wilting.

"Cant be... Don't tell me... they left without him?!" Usopp asked, now angry as he turned to look at Laboon.

"Ran from the Grand Line... Does that mean they went through the Calm Belt alive?" Nami asked curiously.

"Even if they are alive, they'll probably never come back here. Seasons. Weather. Current. Wind direction. They're all random. Common sense is useless in the Grand Line. The terror of the Grand Line takes over the weak minds in an instant." Crocus said sternly, meaning every word. Luffy knew the man's words to be true, having seen plenty of pirates realize just what the New World and the Grand Line were like.

"So having weak minds, they ran away from this sea without keeping their promise in order to save their asses..." Sanji asked, feeling angry himself now. If the pirates had died, he would have understood- after all, the dead can't fulfill their promises- but it turned out the pirates were alive? And had willingly broken their promise?

"They abandoned this whale?! When he's been waiting 50 years...?! That's cruel!" Usopp shouted, just as angry.

"If you know that, why haven't you told him? That whale can understand what people say, right?" Nami asked, feeling bad for Laboon.

"I did tell him... everything. It's since then that he started howling at Reverse Mountain and that he started slamming his body against the Red Line... It's as if he's insisting that they'll come back from the other side of the wall anytime now..." Crocus explained.

"What a whale... When there's no point in waiting..." Usopp said, voice soft in amazement.

"He refuses to accept my words because if he accepts them, it means that there is no point in waiting. He's more afraid of that than anything. He's from the West Blue. There's no way of going back there now. That's why those pirates he came here with are his only buddies and hope." Crocus said, looking to them now as he spoke.

"But you know, it's true that he's a poor whale, but in a way, you were also betrayed, right? Haven't you done enough for him already?" Sanji asked, taking another drag of his cigarette as he side-eyed Crocus.

"Look at the scars on his forehead! If he continues to hit his head like that, he'll die without doubt. It's a strange relationship, but I've been with him for 50 long years. I can't just stand by and watch him die now." Crocus said, determined.

A sudden yell from Luffy made everyone turn in surprise.

"What's that idiot doing?" Sanji asked, eyebrow raised as he watched Luffy run across the deck, the Merrys mast dragging behind him, sails and all.

"We look away for one second..." Zoro said, arms crossed and eyebrow raised as well. Luffy ran off the Merry and onto Laboon, running full speed up the side of the mountain with their mast.

"Is he pretending he's climbing or something?" Usopp asked.

"Gum Gum... Flower Arrangement!" With the yell, Luffy slammed the mast right into one of Laboon's still bleeding scars.

"Isn't that the mast?" Zoro asked, everyone, not having truly realized what Luffy had been carrying until then.

"Yep. It's from our ship." Sanji answered without a hint of hesitation, not even turning to look at where there was now a splintered stump of wood in the middle of their deck.

"It's the main mast... Hey! Don't break the ship!" Usopp screeched, all of them finally realizing the full extent of what Luffy had done. Meanwhile, Laboon was starting to tear up from the pain of having a mast stuck into his fresh wound, a loud cry escaping him as he thrashed around in the ocean. With his size, the waves around them picked up again due to this, tossing the Merry back and forth.

"What the hell are you doing?!" All four of the Strawhats cried. Even Crocus was dismayed by what he was seeing.

Even though Laboon was thrashing, trying to remove the mast- and Luffy by extension- Luffy didn't let it happen, instead holding on tight as Laboon launched himself out of the water and into the air. Instead of landing back in the water, Laboon went crashing straight into the rocky cliff of Reverse Mountain, throwing Luffy and the mast off.

"Wha...?! Hey kid!" Crocus screamed, realizing that Laboon must have crushed, and subsequently killed, Luffy with that move.

"Don't worry. He doesn't die even when crushed!" Nami called over to Crocus, not worried herself. She was lounging against the Merrys railing, watching how this would play out now that the waters were calming down. It was useless to stop Luffy now, after all, he'd already gone and attacked Laboon.

Another cry from Laboon drew their attention as they saw the whale rear back in the water, blood gushing from where he'd pushed the mast in further into his wound, causing more pain.

"Ha! Dummy!" Luffy taunted from where he sat on Reverse Mountains cliff, dirty from being crushed into the rock. With another roar, Laboon tried charging his head at Luffy again only for the rubber man to jump over him. Laboon, undeterred, slapped Luffy out of the sky with his tail, knocking the teen right back into the Mountain.

Stopping himself from falling, Luffy righted himself and immediately spun a punch back at Laboon, aiming for the whale's eye, but again, Laboon dodged, slapping Luffy into the side of the lighthouse before the hit could land.

"What does he think he's doing?!" Usopp asked, a little worried as he watched Luffy get thrown around by the whale. Once again, Laboon effortlessly dodged a kick and sent Luffy back into the Lighthouse with his tail.

"Luffy! What the hell are you trying to do?!" Zoro asked, crouched as he kept himself steady on the rocky waves. Luffy didn't answer from where he sat, sitting against the lighthouse. Laboon wasn't done though and he began to charge at the rubber man once again, intent on still fighting.

"It's a draw!" The words stopped Laboon in his tracks, his anger disappearing as he froze. Luffy stood, smiling now as he picked up his fallen hat and put it on his head.

"I'm strong, aren't I? You wanna defeat me, don't you? Our fight isn't over yet! So we have to fight again. Your buddies're dead, but I'm your rival forever. We definitely have to fight again in order to decide whos the strongest. After going around Paradise, we'll come back to see you again. When I come back, let's fight again!" Luffy told Laboon. Everyone watching, Crocus included, smiled as they heard Luffys words, realizing now what he'd been up to.

Tears in his eyes again, Laboon reared his head back and roared loudly one more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I said this last time, but boy was I swamped with finals these past two weeks! I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to reread and look over this chapter, so if you notice more mistakes then usual, that would be why. I really wanted to get this up for you all though, hence why it's a little later in the day and might not be as refined as I would normally try and make it.
> 
> So, Sabo's gone now, which is sad, but I'm sure we'll see him again in the future! I know a lot of this bit was the same, but there's not much you can change about Laboon; even if Luffy himself is very much changed. Brook is still in the Florian Triangle, and there wouldn't be any reason for much of anything here to change. There are a few small details that I gave Crocus though that will be making their appearance next chapter!
> 
> Thank you all for your patience and support. You push me to want to do my best and without you all I would have never gotten this far with my writing. Looking back on my older stuff I can see just how much I've improved and it's thanks to all of you guys spurring me on and giving me valuable feedback.
> 
> In two weeks time, we'll be seeing the wrap-up of Reverse Mountain and will be moving on to Whiskey Peak! I hope you're all as excited about that as I am!


	22. Hidden Motives

"Hmm. This is good. This is the symbol of our promise to fight again. Until we come back, don't remove that mark by hitting your head. Got that?!" Luffy, covered in white, yellow, and red paint and holding a large paintbrush, yelled to Laboon, admiring his work. On the whale's forehead, covering the scars, was a sloppy straw hat pirate mark that Luffy had painted. With a roar of agreement, Luffy smiled widely.

"All right!" With that, Luffy left the whale to go get cleaned up on the Merry, Usopp already hard at work at fixing the mast the best he could. It didn't take long for Luffy to remove the paint and dirt from his fight with Laboon, and soon he was back outside, spick and span.

"Huh? Where'd those guys go?" Zoro asked, realizing that Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 were no longer unconscious on their deck.

"Those guys? Who knows. I do wonder who they were though." Nami said as she looked down from the upper deck's railing. Walking forward, Luffy saw a log pose on the deck and picked it up.

"Whats that Luffy?" She asked, seeing him pick the object up but not knowing what it was.

"It's a... uh... Log Pose thingy I think." Luffy told her after a second of thinking. He wasn't a navigator so he wasn't actually all that sure on what the object was. He remembered back to the few times everyone back on Whitebeards ship had tried to teach him basic navigation, remembering that someone had called this a log pose.

"A 'log pose thingy?'" She asked, walking down the stairs and over to Luffy to get a better look.

"Yeah, the navigators on Pops' ship used 'em. I don't know how to though." He said, handing it over to her. She examined it for a minute before wrapping it around her wrist.

"Well, it looks like a compass at least. It's different than what I'm used to, but I'm sure I can get a hang of it no problem." She told him confidently. Feeling this, Luffy smiled and nodded.

"Hey, Luffy, come help me with this!"

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

As everyone went about their normal routine, Nami left the Merry to sit at a table and chairs outside of the lighthouse; compass, and maps spread out in front of her. Sanji was finishing making lunch while Usopp finished his patchwork job of getting the Merrys mast standing again. Zoro napped, per usual, and Luffy lounged around, watching Laboon as he thrashed around in the water again.

"What's the matter? Quiet down!" Luffy called to the whale, wondering what had him so worked up all of a sudden.

"What's the matter Nami-san?! If it's food you're worried about, it's ready!" Sanji cooed as he headed her way, large platters of food in his hands. Nami looked up from her rapidly spinning compass, perplexed.

"Oh? Mealtime?" Usopp asked, climbing up the rope ladder to join the two on the cliff.

"The compass is broken! It doesn't point in any direction!" She told them. Luffy, having joined them after hearing meal time, looked to see the needle spinning uselessly in circles.

"Ahh, you're right. It's spinning!" Usopp noted, also crowding around the table to look.

"Woah! That's cool!" Sanji said in amazement, joining them.

"That's it! That's what the log thingy was for!" Luffy said, remembering now exactly what it was for.

"Log thingy?" Usopp and Sanji asked in confusion.

"This?" Nami asked, lifting her wrist to look at the Log pose again. Luffy nodded, all of them seeing the needle inside the glass remaining unmoving, unlike their compass.

"Yeah! Pops and everyone said normal compasses won't work and they showed me one. It was spinning just like that. They said you have to use log poses instead." He explained, remembering how cool it had been to see the spinning needle on their compass.

"Seems you came with at least some knowledge of the Grand Line after all," Crocus said as he left the lighthouse, joining them. Forgetting about the navigation stuff, Luffy turned his sights on the food which irritated Sanji.

"Crocus. Can you explain this to me? Teaching isn't really Luffys strong suit." Nami said dryly, sticking out a thumb to the rubber man who was still eyeing the food hungrily.

"As I said before, common sense is useless in the Grand Line. The compass isn't broken." He told her.

"Hm? Then could it be that the magnetic fields are..." Nami trailed off, but Crocus knew what she was going to say.

He went on to explain to them exactly how the Grand Line worked and how they needed Log Poses rather than compasses to get around. Nami listened intently, needing to know this information if she was going to guide them through this sea. He explained how they worked as well, showing Nami on the log pose itself what to look for and what it would do. He finished by telling them that no matter which path they started with, all of them would lead to the same endpoint. Raftel.

"Then the One Piece is there?!" Usopp asked excitedly.

"Who knows. That's the most prominent theory, but no one has been able to reach there." Crocus told him. Luffy, who was now down to just the bones of the fish he was eating, grinned.

"We'll know once we get there." He said confidently, no doubt in his mind that he would reach the legendary island.

"Say, boy, how is it you know so much about the Grand Line anyhow? I heard you call it Paradise earlier as well. You wouldn't happen to have sailed these waters before, have you?" Crocus asked Luffy with a raised eyebrow.

"Me? Yeah, I was apart of Whitebeards crew for a while. I'm starting my own crew now though." Luffy explained with a smile.

"Is that so? Ah, now it makes sense, you're 11097, right?" He asked, recognizing Luffys face now.

"Mhm." Luffy hummed, waiting to see how Crocus would respond to that. Around him, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji listened silently.

"I heard about you and all the other kids' escape. Good job." Crocus said, surprising Luffy. Of all the things he had expected to hear, that had not been one of them.

"Huh?" Luffy asked, confused. The others were confused as well because when they'd heard about Luffy being an escapee, their first thoughts had not been along the lines of Crocus'.

"You were in a facility, right?" Crocus asked, smile gone as he spoke. Luffy stiffened at his words, bristling in preparation to get out of there fast. His crew saw the turn in Luffys demeanor, the sudden frown, the tense posture, and they wondered once again what the facility was.

"What do you know about facilities?" Luffy asked, his voice low and dangerous. His fingers were digging into the rocky ground beneath him at the many scenarios his mind was coming up with.

Crocus had said earlier that he was a doctor. What if he was a facility doctor after all? It wasn't too far-fetched a thought seeing as the man seemingly knew what facilities were. Not only that, but Sabo had just told him about Haru possibly being in Paradise as well, so he was on high alert to anyone who could have any connection to facilities.

"Not much in all honesty. The crew I sailed with stumbled upon one a long time ago. Despicable things, facilities." Crocus said, face twisting in disgust at the last part. This calmed Luffy slightly, feeling the truth in his words as he spoke.

"So you're not a doctor then?" Luffy asked, just in case. Even though it was all but confirmed for him, he still needed to know, to feel the truth in Crocus' words before he would be able to relax.

"A ships doctor, yes. A facility doctor? Never." Crocus told him honestly. Luffy stayed silent a minute, digging through Crocus' every emotion for even a hint of a lie. Finding none, he finally let himself relax, fists unclenching. Nami, Usopp, and Sanji could only watch on, their confusion as clear on their faces as it was to Luffys abilities as they listened. They were completely lost as to what the two were talking about seeing as all they'd ever gotten out of Luffy about facilities was that they were 'bad places', but the fact that Crocus seemed to be confirming that sentiment as well made them even more curious as to what happened in these facilities.

"Good. You're a good guy old man. It would have sucked if I had to fight you." Luffy said honestly. His posture was much more relaxed now, finding Crocus to not be a threat like he first thought. Crocus laughed at his words, clearly not offended by them.

"Anyway, now that I'm done eating, should we go?" Luffy asked, his seriousness gone as he lounged back. With this new turn in conversation though, Sanji finally noticed the empty platters of what used to be food on the table.

"Did you eat this all by yourself?!" Sanji shouted in a mixture of astonishment and anger.

"Woah! Even the bones are gone!" Usopp said, looking at the empty platters with wide eyes, also having been too preoccupied with the conversation to notice Luffy eating it all.

"Now that we have this log pose, we should be good to go. We have to take good care of this if we want to continue our journey..." Nami said as she looked at the log pose on her wrist.

"I wanted Nami-san... I wanted Nami-san to... eat more!" Sanji roared, kicking Luffy in the stomach, sending him flying past Nami. As he flew by, however, his hand hit the glass Log Pose, shattering it. There was a moment as Nami froze, staring despondently at the broken Log Pose, while Luffy and Sanji continued talking.

"Sanji-kun..."

"Yes, Nami-san!" Sanji asked, clearly not hearing the warning in Namis tone as he turned to smile at her.

"Both of you go cool your heads off!" She yelled, kicking both Luffy and Sanji off the cliff and into the water. Sanji allowed himself to fall in the water, hearts in his eyes, while Luffy scrabbled to swim to the top. As usual, his strength was slowly being sapped away by the ocean, but he managed to stay afloat long enough for Laboon to push both him and Sanji, as well as two other people out of the water.

"Don't worry, I'll give you mine. I wanted to thank you for what you did for Laboon." Crocus said good-naturedly, not paying the washed-up group of four any mind.

As Sanji stood up from the ground, he noticed the other two that had been fished out with them. Or, rather, he noticed one of the two that had been fished out.

"Here, take my hand, honey." Stepping over to where the woman was laying, he bent down onto one knee and offered his hand with a flourish, smiling widely.

"Oh, thank you." The woman, Miss Wednesday, said, taking his extended hand and allowing him to help her up. Without missing a beat, Sanji placed a hand on her back, leading her away from Luffy and Mr.9 who were still on the ground.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" He asked, attention focused solely on the woman.

"Hey! We have a favor to ask." Mr.9 piped up, sitting up as well. Annoyed at being interrupted, Sanji looked to Mr.9 in confusion, wondering what this favor was. The chef looked over to Luffy, who was still laying down, wondering what he would say to that. Earlier his Captain had knocked the two out, one of his reasonings being that Mr.9 had 'bad feelings', so he was curious as to whether Luffy would hear them out or not.

Luffy seemed to be contemplating this as well as he finally sat up, eyeing Mr.9 carefully. Crocus, Nami, and Usopp watched from where they stood near the tables, also waiting for Luffys decision.

For a second it seemed the teen would ignore them completely when he stood and walked over to the table, but when he reached it he sat down, looking to Mr.9.

"What is it?" He asked. Unlike when he talked to his crew or Crocus, Luffy's voice held no amusement or joy. It wasn't unkind, but it also wasn't inviting either. Taking notice of the tone, Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday hesitated momentarily, but ultimately decided to continue on with asking.

Sanji joined Luffy and the others at the table, interested in what this favor could be, while Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday bowed in front of Luffy, practically begging him to take them to Whiskey Peak as their favor seeing as they no longer had their log pose.

"Whiskey Peak? That's a weird name." Luffy said, his tone no longer as dry as it had been before.

"What's that?" Usopp asked, eyeing the two warily. He still wasn't over the fact that they had tried to kill Laboon. Multiple times.

"That's where we live... um, sir." Mr.9 said, tacking on the formality at the last second.

"Whats happened to your own ship?" Nami asked, also not happy with the two.

"It's busted." Mr.9 answered. Hearing this, Nami leaned closer to the man, the grin on her face not matching the anger in her eyes.

"Isn't that asking too much, Mr.9, after trying to kill the whale?" She asked. Mr.9, visibly sweating, didn't respond to that.

"So what are you guys?" Usopp asked next.

"I'm a king." Mr.9 answered, no hesitation in his voice or on his face as he said this. Though he was wearing a large crown on his head, Luffy could feel that the man was lying. The only reason Luffy was still listening was because of the fact that, despite Mr.9 having had bad feelings earlier, he had none now. That and Miss Wednesday's aura didn't match the attitude she was giving off.

"Liar," Nami growled, pulling Mr.9's cheek in retaliation. When she let go, both Miss Wednesday and Mr.9 bowed their heads again.

"I'm sorry, we can't say! But we want to go back to the town. We don't want to be secretive either, but..." Mr.9 trailed off. Beside him, Miss Wednesday raised her head to speak.

"The motto of our company is 'mystery' after all..." She told them.

"We can't just tell you anything about us. Placing confidence in your character, we're begging you. We will definitely return the favor." Mr.9 pleaded. As he said this, despite the worry and fear in the man, there was a spark of truth to his words, as well as a spark of deception. This didn't sit well with Luffy, knowing that behind that deception was the darkness he'd felt earlier, but still, he was curious.

"Don't do it. No matter what they say, they're dishonest people." Crocus said as a warning. Luffy didn't need Crocus to tell him that, already knowing it from the feelings Mr.9 was giving off.

"By the way, we don't have a log pose because we broke it. Do you still wanna ride with us?" Nami asked, lifting her wrist to show them the broken pose.

"What?! You broke it?! That's mine, you know!" Mr.9 shouted as he stood in a mixture of anger and fear, tears in his eyes. Miss Wednesday, in a very similar state behind him, stood as well.

"How dare you act stuck up just because we're being humble! You guys can't go anywhere either!" She shouted. Nami, pleased with herself, smiled and pointed a thumb at Crocus.

"Oh, but actually, we have one that Crocus-san gave us." She said slyly. Hearing her words, Miss Wednesday and Mr.9 blanched, wilting back to the ground and bowing their heads again.

"We beg you people of such character..." They said simultaneously. Even though the two of them looked to be begging and pleading, Luffy could feel the animosity in Mr.9 towards Nami after her trick. It made him frown momentarily, but then his eyes drifted over to Miss Wednesday again. Looking at her aura one more time, he saw the bright blue contrasting brightly against Mr.9's darker blue.

"You can ride with us." Luffy finally said.

"What?!" Miss Wednesday and Mr.9 asked, sitting up in surprise. It was clear they hadn't expected him to agree.

"Did you say Whiskey Peak? Let's go there." Luffy said. He didn't need to see everyone's faces to know they were surprised by his answer.

"What?" Nami asked, she and Usopp looking just as shocked as Miss Wednesday and Mr.9.

"Are you serious?! We're troubling ourselves to take these shady people?" Usopp asked in a mixture of worry and shock.

"Don't worry about it, I can handle them," Luffy said confidently, looking at Mr.9 as he said this. The man seemed to pick up on the sudden eye contact and gulped nervously but didn't say anything.

"But you can only choose the route here, the starting point." Crocus reminded him, though not objecting his decision.

"If we don't like it, then we can go around one more time," Luffy told the old man, smiling.

"I see..." Crocus said with a smile of his own. With the decision made, Luffy stood up, excited for future adventures.

"Now, shall we get going?" He asked, walking over to the cliff where Laboon was waiting.

"I've made a promise with Laboon, so it's time we get ready to set sail," Luffy said, stretching his arms as he spoke. Behind him, Miss Wednesday and Mr.9 stood, a little skeptical now of Luffys acceptance.

"Who on Earth are you?" Miss Wednesday asked. Amused by her question, Luffy turned to grin at her.

"Me? I'm the man who'll be King of the Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy." There was a brief moment of amusement in the two as they heard Luffys dream, but that quickly vanished when they heard his name.

"W-wait a second..." Mr.9 mumbled, eyes going wide.

"M-Monkey D..." Miss Wednesday murmured.

"You mean you're 11097?!" They asked in unison, recognizing Luffy now. As many did when they realized who Luffy was, the two were quick to fill with fear and nervousness. Luffy did his best to ignore this though, laughing instead.

"Shishishi, yup!"

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"It should be ok now. The log must've been stored. Is it pointing in the same direction as the map?" Crocus asked Nami. The navigator looked between the new log pose on her wrist and the map she had.

"Yup, it's pointing at Whiskey Peak." She confirmed as the sun began to set in the distance. The Straw Hats had gotten ready to leave as quickly as possible, forcing Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday to help as well now that the crew would be helping them out. They were finally ready to go now, everyone on the Merry while Crocus and Laboon watched.

"See ya, flower pops! Thanks for the log pose!" Luffy called, waving happily to Crocus.

"Yeah, have a safe trip," Crocus called back.

"See ya, whale! I'm leaving now!" Luffy then said to Laboon, taking in the mark still painted on the whale's scars. Laboon let out a low, quiet noise in a goodbye of his own, making Luffy laugh.

"To Whiskey Peak! Full speed ahead!" Luffy called out to everyone.

"Yeah!" With that, the Merry was sent sailing across the waters, leaving behind Reverse Mountain. According to Nami and their two traveling companions, Whiskey Peak was only a day away at best.

In other words, no more adventuring until tomorrow.

This bummed Luffy out, but it didn't stay that way for long as Luffy looked at the wide expanse of ocean ahead of them. As always, the ocean was a good calming agent for the hyperactive teen. He could stare at it for hours.

Luffy hadn't been watching the ocean for long when a chill was in the air, and suddenly, it was snowing. This overjoyed Luffy as he immediately began running around Merry's deck, laughing and basking in the falling snowflakes.

When enough time passed that the deck was covered in the white snow, Luffy and Usopp had quickly divulged into a snowman building contest.

"Alright, done!" Luffy announced, standing beside his snowman. Its eyes weren't on even and it had mop handles for arms and nose as well as a green cape and a barrel on its head.

"This is the man that fell from the sky, Barrel!" Luffy said happily, patting the snowman. In front of him, Usopp laughed, his confidence oozing.

"That's such a crude snowman..." He laughed.

"What?!" Luffy asked, only to see Usopps snow sculpture.

"Behold! Look at my soulful artwork, the Snow Queen!" Usopp announced, gesturing to his sculpture. It was a woman that shared a striking resemblance to Kaya sitting on a chair of snow. Amazed by it, Luffys jaw dropped.

"Woah! That's incredible!" He yelled before getting an idea.

"Okay then! Snow Barrel Punch!" Luffy yelled, punching the back of his snowman's arms, sending the wooden pole shooting out towards Usopps snow sculpture. The stick managed to take off the sculpture's entire head effortlessly, surprising Usopp.

"What the hell are you doing?!" He yelled, kicking down Luffys snowman in retaliation, covering the teen in the snow.

"Ah! Barrel!" Luffy cried angrily, immediately launching himself into Usopp.

Snowman creating quickly turned into a snow battle as they pelted snowballs, rolled giant snow boulders into each other, and altogether just fought. It was all in good fun though, neither of them actually angry with each other.

As the battle continued, the sun darkened with storm clouds and lightning began striking around them, the snow blowing around them harshly. Luffy was completely used to the random changes in the weather and paid it no mind, and seeing as Usopp was too caught up in the battle they were having he didn't notice it either.

What stopped their fight though was Namis sudden shriek.

"Wh... What?" Usopp asked, looking over to the kitchen where the Nami had just come from.

"What's the matter?" Luffy asked her, confused. From the Merrys front upper deck, Sanji looked over the railing in concern, having been shoveling snow up there.

"What's the matter Nami-san?" He asked, worried for the woman.

"Ahh... No way! Turn the ship around 180 degrees! Hurry!" Nami ordered as she looked at the log pose on her wrist.

"180 degrees?! Why're we going back?!" Usopp asked.

"Did you forget something?" Luffy wondered, but had a feeling that wasn't the problem based on Namis emotions.

"The ship has turned around and is going in the opposite direction! When I looked away from the log pose for a second...! The waves were calm earlier..." Nami said, her confusion clear as day, the strongest emotion she was feeling.

"Oh yeah, that happens all the time. Paradise and the New World always changes weather like this. Pops had navigators always checking the log pose." Luffy told her with a laugh.

"And you didn't tell me this sooner?!" Nami shrieked, turning her anger towards him.

"Ah, I thought you knew that. Whoops?" He said sheepishly now, rubbing the back of his head.

"Are you really a navigator?" Miss Wednesday's voice asked from inside the kitchen where she and Mr.9 were sitting, wrapped in blankets.

"Stop pestering me in those cozy blankets and go help already!" Nami continued yelling, literally kicking the two out of the kitchen and into the snow.

With the two out of the kitchen, Nami started barking orders to everyone else, telling them what to do to get them heading back in the right direction. Usopp and Sanji were running around the deck following orders while even Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday were forced to help. At one point, the sky's cleared completely and a warm breeze blew past, Miss Wednesday and Mr.9 calling it the first springs gales which only further annoyed Nami.

Zoro, who had been napping the entire time, had yet to move. Snow was accumulating on his body, but now that the weather was nicer it began to melt away.

The weather continued it's rapid change from calm waters and sunny skies to dark clouds and wind storms. At one point the Merry barely scraped by an iceberg, but managed to leave without too much damage. However, there was a hole that Usopp had to go patch up.

When the weather was finally calm enough that the crew didn't need to frantically run around anymore, they all collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

"Hey, no matter how nice the weather is, you guys shouldn't be so lazy. We'd better be on the right track." Hearing Zoros words, Luffy could feel everyone's anger rise, but no one had the energy to do anything about it.

"Why're you guys still on the ship?" Zoro asked. Seeing as he'd literally been sleeping since they were at Reverse Mountain, he had no idea about their agreement to take Miss Wednesday and Mr.9 to Whiskey Peak.

"You're slow!" Mr.9 shouted. Luffy, the only one not on the ground in exhaustion, smiled to Zoro from where he sat on the railing of the upper deck.

"We're heading to their town right now. It's called Whiskey Peak." He said. Being on Whitebeards ship for so much time meant Luffy was used to the physical labor it took to handle a ship. Even though it had been chaotic for a while, it wasn't anything as bad as the New World could be, so Luffy was still ready to go.

"You mean we're taking them back? We don't owe them anything." Zoro said, confused as to why they would be helping the two.

"Right, we don't." Luffy agreed without hesitation.

"Well, it's not like it matters to me..." Zoro said, kneeling down in front of the two.

"Yeah, your faces say that you're thinking bad thoughts. What were your names again?" Zoro asked. Luffy was impressed that Zoro could tell from just their looks that the two weren't being entirely truthful with them. Luffy himself could feel it, as well as the small pit of darkness that had been growing inside Mr.9 after Nami had ordered him around so much, but he knew Zoro didn't have that ability.

"I-I'm Mr.9..." Mr.9 said hesitantly, sweating nervously at Zoros intense stare.

"I'm Miss Wednesday." Miss Wednesday answered, equally as nervous.

"Right... Something has been bothering me ever since I first heard your names... I feel like I've heard them somewhere before, or maybe not..." Zoro said, holding his chin as he continued grinning at the two who were growing increasingly nervous and fearful under the man's gaze. Luffy felt that Zoro wasn't lying, that he recognized the names somehow, but the green-haired man couldn't quite figure it out. Luffy did know, however, that the more he talked about knowing them, the more worried and scared Miss Wednesday and Mr.9 became.

Maybe it had to do with that whole 'Mystery' motto that they had.

"Well, either way-" Zoro was cut off from his sentence when Nami walked up behind him, anger radiating off of her so strong Luffy nearly fell off the railing at its intensity. She didn't hesitate to hit Zoro in the head, knocking him forward onto the deck before he righted himself.

"How dare you sleep comfortably all this time... You kept sleeping no matter how many times we tried to wake you up..." Nami growled out. In response to both the woman's anger and the hit, Zoro himself started to become angry as well.

"Eh?" He didn't have a chance to say any more than that as Nami began hitting him multiple times in the head, leaving bumps from how hard she hit.

"Don't let your guard down, everyone! We don't know what else might happen. I was finally able to realize the danger of this sea just now. There's no doubt about it seeing as my navigation skills didn't work at all." Nami said. Luffy, who had been focusing on not letting Namis intense anger influence him, finally calmed at her words, feeling the navigator's emotions calm with his.

"How blunt... Are we gonna be okay?" Usopp asked, sweatdropping at Namis words.

"We'll be fine! Things will work out for sure." Nami said confidently, smile on her face and hands on her hips.

"I put my full faith in your skills, Nami-san!" Sanji said, hearts in his eyes as he talked to the redhead.

With that out of the way and the sky getting darker by the second, Sanji announced that dinner was ready, having been working on it intermittently during the hectic weather when he could. Luffy cheered at the thought of food, bolting to the kitchen at once while the others lagged behind.

Dinner wasn't as chaotic as Luffy was used to seeing as they had such a small group of people, but it was still animated. Luffy didn't hesitate to nab food off of his crew's unsuspecting plates, only taking a small bit. And then a small bit more. And more. And a little-

"Oi, Luffy, quit it!" Usopp chastised, hugging his plate defensively to try and keep Luffy from grabbing anymore off of it. Luffy didn't say anything, merely laughing as he changed his target to Zoro who wasn't paying him any attention.

The crew quickly learned how to defend their plates from the glutton that night.

When dinner was over, they left the kitchen to see that night had fallen, the moon high in the sky and lighting the deck up for them. It was determined that Usopp was taking the first watch that night and Miss Wednesday would stay with Nami while Mr.9 would stay in the boys' room. Nami was hesitant, rightfully so, to be sleeping in the same room as someone who clearly didn't mean them well, but Luffy promised her that he would know if the woman was going to do something and he would come stop her before she could.

Although still not entirely convinced that Luffy would just 'know', she did give in to the request. After all, she wasn't as much of a monster to leave the girl out on the deck in the cold.

Unless she tried something. Then Miss Wednesday could sleep in the ocean for all she cared.

With sleeping arrangements and watch duty set, everyone split up for the night with the men, sans Usopp, heading to their room and Nami and Miss Wednesday heading to the women's room.

After having such a hectic day, the crew was exhausted. From Lougetown, to Reverse Mountain and now journeying through the Grand Line, had been a lot of work for them. Luffy wasn't any more tired than usual, but even he was ready to lay down and go to sleep, excited for the adventure to come tomorrow.

However, when he laid down in his hammock, he found sleep hard to come by. Without the distraction of running a crew and helping sail a ship, Luffy was left with only his thoughts to pester him.

He remembered how nice the day had started, and then he remembered Sabo coming to talk to him. It felt as if that talk had happened days ago already after everything that had happened afterward, but the words still held the same impact that they had when he'd heard Sabo say them for the first time.

Haru was alive. Not only that, but he was most likely in Paradise right now.

The thought of the doctor that still haunted his dreams being on the same sea as him made Luffy frown. Quickly realizing that sleep wouldn't come easy, Luffy opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling, mind suddenly wide awake with scenarios of running into Haru again.

So much for getting any sleep that night.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

The next morning, Zoro woke up as groggy as ever. Wanting to go back to sleep but knowing he shouldn't, he rolled himself out of his hammock and looked around the room.

Sanji was already gone, most likely in the kitchen cooking breakfast, and Mr.9 and Usopp were both nowhere to be seen as well. For a while before falling asleep, Zoro had attempted trying to figure out where he'd heard their two new companions' names, but no matter how much he racked his brain for it, he couldn't figure it out. Deciding sleep was better than thinking, he'd given up rather quickly, and now that he was awake again, he found himself trying to remember again.

Looking over to Luffy's hammock, he saw that his Captain was still in it sleeping. While not entirely unusual, it was still weird for Luffy to be sleeping in longer than him. Since traveling together, Luffy was almost always up before Zoro, and ever since Usopp's arrival, the two would wake up together to go hang out outside.

The teen's back was to Zoro, and he wasn't making any sounds that Zoro could hear so the man shrugged it off, getting ready to head outside as well.

The sun was bright, blinding for Zoro who had just come from the darkroom where they slept, and it was warmer than it had been yesterday. There was no more snow on the deck and the chilling air had passed for a much more reasonable cool breeze every now and then.

It was perfect weather for napping.

Before he could even think of falling back asleep though, Nami came over, happy to see him awake, and asked if he could help move the rudder. Apparently, the Merry was starting to head off course again and everyone else was too busy to help.

Having nothing better to do, Zoro went to the rudder and moved in where Nami directed him to. It took some time seeing as they suddenly hit some rough waters, but eventually, the Merry was back on track and Sanji was announcing the start of breakfast. As everyone piled into the kitchen, ready to eat, it didn't take them long to notice that Luffy was still sleeping.

"I think that's the first time he's slept in this long," Nami said in surprise. After Zoro, she was the one to have traveled with Luffy the longest and even she knew he was always up well before mealtimes.

"Should we wake him up then?" Usopp asked, not sure what to do in this case. Would Luffy be mad if they went and woke him up? Or mad that they let him miss breakfast? Having a good idea as to which of those two Luffy would be more mad about, Zoro stood.

"I'll go get him." Zoro volunteered, standing up from the table and heading to the room. No one objected to this, watching as the swordsman left the kitchen.

The walk to the men's room took no time at all, and soon enough Zoro was looking at Luffys back once more, the young Captain still fast asleep in the hammock-like he had been earlier.

"Oi, Luffy," Zoro called as he moved closer. When Luffy didn't so much as twitch at Zoros call, the swordsman got even closer, reaching a handout.

"Luffy, foods ready," Zoro said, thinking the rubber teen would jump out of bed at the words. Every time food was mentioned around Luffy, sleeping or not, he would go running.

This time, he stayed still.

Confused, and only slightly concerned now, Zoro grabbed Luffys shoulder, shaking him lightly in hopes that that would finally rouse him. It didn't work, however, but it did move Luffy onto his back, showing Zoro the scrunched up look of pain- and maybe even fear- on his face.

Concern growing a little more, Zoro tried shaking Luffy a little harder, thinking that would work. After all, Luffy hadn't proved to be much of a heavy sleeper.

When shaking him harder didn't work, Zoro was about ready to resort to pushing Luffy off the hammock completely. Should he go get the others? Maybe Luffy was sick or something and that's why Zoro couldn't wake him up.

_'Sometimes when I go to sleep I don't wake up'_

The memory of Luffy giving him the small tube of liquid on the way to the Goa Islands came back to Zoros mind and he turned to look at his small pile of belongings near his hammock where he'd stashed it. Looking back to Luffy and seeing that the teen's expression had yet to change, Zoro decided it was worth a shot to use whatever that vial was on Luffy. After all, Luffy was the one to give it to him in the first place. Surely it wasn't something bad.

Moving to the stash, he looked around and found the tube easily. After all, he didn't have much. Examining the vial suspiciously he couldn't see anything off about it, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to be cautious with it.

_'If I go to sleep and don't wake up, put this under my nose, but don't put it too close or else I'll spill it when I wake up.'_

Deciding to follow Luffys instructions, Zoro walked back over to Luffy and uncorked the vial. Immediately, an intense smell wafted to his nose and he cringed at it. What the hell was this smelly stuff anyhow?

Ignoring all the questions he had, Zoro put the vial under Luffys nose. At first, he thought it wasn't going to do anything and have to face the fact that there was probably something wrong health wise with his Captain, but just as he was about to give up he heard Luffy groan.

Remembering Luffys words just in time, Zoro pulled the vial back right as Luffy sprung up in the hammock, his eyes wide. With his fast movement and the unevenness of the hammock, Luffy fell off of it with a dull thud as he hit the ground.

Surprised that the smelly stuff had worked and also mildly concerned for Luffy still, Zoro corked the bottle back up before focusing his attention on Luffy.

"You alright?" He asked, not knowing what had just happened. Luffy blinked a few times on the ground, looking dazed and confused. Eventually, the teen's eyes flitted over to Zoro and the confusion turned to recognition and understanding.

"Zoro," Luffy said as if confirming that was the swordsman's name.

"It's time for breakfast." Zoro decided to say. Even though he had plenty of questions, Luffy didn't look in the right mind to be answering any of them.

"Breakfast? Right." Sitting up, Luffy ran a hand through his hair and picked up his Straw Hat with the other. Looking at the object for a minute, Luffy placed it on his head and stood.

"Thanks, Zoro." He mumbled as he walked past the swordsman.

"No problem," Zoro replied as he went to put the smelly liquid away. Luffy paused in the doorway momentarily, looking back at Zoro with a look of conflict before turning to look out the hallway again.

"Don't tell the others what happened... please." Hearing the request Zoro only nodded, confirming that he wouldn't. It was obvious Luffy didn't want anyone else knowing about... whatever had happened and Zoro would make sure it stayed that way. Luffy was his Captain after all, so if he didn't want the others knowing he'd make sure they didn't know.

Throughout breakfast, Luffy was as animated as he always was. It was as if whatever had happened in his sleep hadn't happened in the first place. When Zoro got back to the kitchen where Luffy had beaten him, the teen was all smiles and laughs as he dismissed everyone's curiosity as to why he'd slept in so long.

Zoro, as promised, didn't say anything about Luffy being stuck- for lack of a better term. He merely sat at the table and ate his food like normal, letting himself be pulled into idle conversation. He didn't miss the grateful look Luffy sent him either.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

As the day passed in a much more peaceful way than it had yesterday, Luffy was able to sit at the front of the Merry and think. He didn't like thinking, and he didn't do it often, but it was clear that he needed to come to terms with what was happening.

He hadn't expected to get stuck in his nightmare- then again, he never expects it- but the fact that it happened after a restless night of worrying about Haru only told Luffy that that may have played a part in it. He couldn't just pretend it hadn't happened.

He'd gotten lucky today and Zoro was able to take care of it like he'd hoped, no one else even noticing that something had been wrong with Luffy other than him sleeping in. What about next time though? Sure, like always, he wasn't hiding anything from them, but he also didn't want to broadcast to his crew that he had so many problems. He was the Captain, and that meant he was supposed to be strong, ready to take on anything.

What kind of Captain couldn't even wake up from his own nightmares though?

Glancing behind him, Luffy saw a glimpse of his crew all doing their own thing. Sanji was fawning over Nami, and occasionally Miss Wednesday, having fit right into the crew like Luffy expected he would. Nami was constantly checking the log pose on her wrist to ensure they were headed the right way, and Usopp was holding a bottle of tobasco sauce, making new pellets for his slingshot. Zoro, as usual, was napping against the railing, having kept his promise not to let the others know about Luffy's issue this morning. Finally, Miss Wednesday and Mr.9. The two had been nervous and scared for most of the journey, which Luffy expected after their reaction to finding out he was 11097. The closer they got to Whiskey Peak though, the calmer they got, and in Mr.9's case, the more darkness he grew.

Like before, it wasn't a lot. It was barely enough for Luffy to feel uncomfortable by it, but it was still something. It was obvious that there was something about Whiskey Peak that was causing the darkness, but Luffy didn't know what, and wouldn't until they got there.

Facing forward, Luffy made sure to continue monitoring Mr.9's emotions in case he tried anything.

Thinking again of his nightmare last night, Luffy shivered and once again wondered what he should do. With Haru being on the same sea, Luffy was finding himself constantly on edge if he didn't have anything to preoccupy his thoughts. At this rate, he wouldn't get any sleep again tonight either.

He didn't know how likely it was that he would get stuck in a nightmare two nights in a row, but he didn't want to wait to find out. Deciding that there was only one way to handle this, Luffy hopped off of Merry's figurehead and headed to the mini den den sitting out on the barrel like it always did. No one noticed him until he was heading back towards the men's room, snail in hand.

"Where are you going Luffy?" Nami asked curiously, not having noticed the snail in his hand. No one really went back to their rooms during the day, especially not Luffy.

"I'll be right back, I have to call Pops about something," Luffy told her, showing the snail he held. She blinked in surprise at that, Sanji and Usopp stopping what they were doing to look as well.

"Is everything alright?" Sanji asked curiously, wondering what Luffy was calling Whitebeard about.

"Don't worry, I won't take long." With that, Luffy left, climbing down the mast into the men's room. It didn't escape anyone's notice that Luffy hadn't answered Sanji's question.

Once in the men's room, Luffy sighed and went over to the couch inside the room, sitting down. There was a second where he hesitated, wondering if he really should call or not. After all, he'd called plenty already and he'd only just reentered Paradise. Remembering his previous worries of not getting any sleep, Luffy pushed those thoughts away and dialed the number he knew by heart, waiting through the ringing for someone to answer.

"Whos this?" Hearing the familiar question, as always, Luffy smiled.

"Hi, Izo," Luffy said in lieu of his name. The snail smiled in response to his words, Izo immediately recognizing him as the others had before.

"Luffy. Let me guess; Whiskey?" Izo asked knowingly, still smiling. Smiling sheepishly now, Luffy nodded.

"Mm." Luffy hummed. Izo chuckled quietly, but started walking towards the nurse.

"How's everything going so far Luffy?" Izo asked in the meantime. Luffy felt himself naturally relax at Izo's soothing voice. Of all the commanders, he and Marco had always been the two that could calm Luffy down when he was suffering from a particularly bad nightmare or memory.

"It's been really fun. I've got four crewmembers now and I'm back in Paradise." Luffy said, a smile stretching on his face.

"Oh yeah? I take it that means you've gone past Reverse Mountain?" Izo asked knowingly.

"Yeah! That was so much fun!" Luffy said, laughing now at the memory of going down. Well, running into Laboon hadn't been all that fun, but it had all worked out in the end.

"I had a feeling you would think that. We saw you in the newspaper by the way. Everyone's having a field day with how confused the Marines are." Izo said, laughing himself now at the thought of how wrong the Marines had been about Luffy being 'kicked out'. Luffy laughed as well, just as amused.

"Anyways, here's Whiskey now. You stay safe, alright Luffy?" Izo said sternly, Luffy nodding obediently to his words, smiling still. Izo said his farewells quickly before the snail was handed over to the nurse Luffy wanted to talk to.

"Luffy, what's up? You haven't been poisoned again, have you?" Whiskey asked with a raised eyebrow. Shaking his head at the question, Luffy laughed quietly.

"Nope, not poisoned. I got stuck last night." Luffy told her bluntly, wanting to get straight to the point with this one. They were due to reach Whiskey Peak today, and as much as Luffy wanted to talk with Whiskey for as long as possible, he knew that the second they reached the island he was going to have to end the conversation with her.

"This wouldn't happen to be because of some news you heard recently, would it?" She asked knowingly. Luffy was confused, wondering how she knew about that.

"Marco told me about Sabo's call, and I was there after Ace found out. Luffy, truthfully I've known Haru was still... _around_ for a while now." Whiskey admitted, having seen Luffys confusion over the snail. Luffy realized that that made sense but was still a little annoyed that Sabo had seemingly told everyone else, but not him or Ace.

"Luffy, how are you taking the news?" She asked, voice growing softer in concern. Luffy frowned at that, thinking it over. He wanted to answer honestly, and if he was going to do that he needed to take the time to really figure out how he felt about Haru being alive.

"I was mad that Sabo didn't tell me sooner. And I don't like that Haru's... back." Luffy said slowly as he tried to find the right words to express his emotions.

"That's understandable. Anger is a natural reaction to someone withholding important information like that." Whiskey said, making Luffy feel better. After Sabo left, he'd also felt a little guilty for being so mad at his brother. Luffy understood why Sabo had kept it from them, but that understanding didn't stop him from being angry.

Luffy and Whiskey continued to talk for a while, the nurse helping him work out the different emotions he was having after his revelation. Whiskey told him the fact that he knew Haru was in close proximity could be causing him stress which could have played a factor in him getting stuck in his nightmare last night.

Overall, the talk was good for Luffy as he expected. It didn't change the fact that Haru was still in Paradise at the same time he was, and it didn't change the fact that Luffy was going to continue worrying about it, but talking it out with Whiskey truly made him feel better about everything. By the end of their conversation, Luffy was feeling much better than when he'd first called her.

"I'm glad you took the time to call and talk to me about this Luffy. And remember, Pops and everyone here wouldn't hesitate to come help you out with anything you needed." Whiskey reminded him. Luffy nodded at that but knew he wouldn't ask for that help unless there was no other option left. This was his journey, he didn't want to cheat by using Whitebeard's strength and power to help him out.

"I know. Oh, and I promise that I'm still looking for a doctor." Luffy said, remembering Whiskey's want for him to add one to his crew. The nurse laughed at that, making Luffy smile.

"I know you are. At least we all don't have to worry about the doctor you choose. If there's anyone you're going to choose carefully, it's gonna be your doctor." Whiskey said, still smiling. It was true after all because Luffy was going to be extremely picky when it came to the medical staff of his crew.

Luffy knew that he needed to find a doctor of his own so he didn't have to keep calling Whiskey all the time, but he couldn't imagine finding anyone he would trust like he did Whiskey. She was the first nurse outside of the facility to show that she wanted to help Luffy and his brothers rather than hurt them. He'd told her about every thought and feeling he'd had for years now, and the thought of finding someone else to fill that role was daunting.

How would he know that the doctor he found was going to be good like Whiskey? That their blue- because Luffy would never want to allow someone without a blue aura to join, especially a doctor- wouldn't turn to grey, and then black, after hearing everything Luffy had to say?

It was a stressful thought for Luffy, and seeing as he didn't like stressful things, he decided to ignore it for now. There was no use worrying about it now anyway seeing as there was nothing he could do at the moment to fix it. Instead, he focused back on the call with Whiskey, nodding.

"Mm. I'm gonna go now Whiskey. Thanks for talking!" Luffy told the nurse, the stress melting away as Luffy pushed his previous thoughts away.

"It was no problem Luffy. Goodbye. Gatcha." With the snail asleep once again and Luffy feeling much lighter and happier, the teen left the men's room and headed back up on to the Merrys deck. As he did, he heard a conversation from the front of the ship where everyone was standing. Once he put the den den back on the barrel that it usually rested on, he went to join them, catching the end of Nami's sentence.

"In fact, look! Our first journey is over." The woman said as she pointed ahead of them to where they could see land. Even though he hadn't heard the beginning of the conversation, Luffy didn't care as he focused on the strange-looking land.

"It's a really funny looking island," Luffy noted as he walked up behind his crew, Usopp and Nami jumping in surprise while Zoro and Sanji turned to look at him.

"Luffy, you're back!" Usopp said, holding his heart. It was evident they hadn't heard him coming which made Luffy snicker.

"Those cacti are huge," Luffy said instead, nodding back to the island as he said this. Everyone looked back, finding themselves agreeing with his words. The entire island was covered in gigantic cacti that dwarfed even their ship.

"So this is Whiskey Peak," Sanji said, hands in his pockets as he took in the strange looking island. Even though many were confused- and mildly concerned- about what Luffy had been doing, they didn't question it.

The sound of Mr.9 and Miss Wednesday jumping onto the Merrys railing drew their attention away from the island once again.

"Well then, we'll be leaving now." Mr. 9 started, he and Miss Wednesday crouched on the railing as they addressed the crew.

"Thanks for taking us home, honeys." Miss Wednesday said next.

"If we're linked by fate, we'll meet again!" Mr. 9 continued.

"Bye-bye, baby!" Both Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday said this before the two of them flipped backward off of the railing and into the ocean, swimming quickly to the nearby island. Luffy was honestly glad they were gone because as they spoke, Mr.9's darkness got worse, a feeling of knowing in the man. Miss Wednesday still didn't have the darkness, but she shared the knowing feelings of Mr. 9, telling Luffy that they would definitely see the two again.

"They're gone..." Nami said, unknowing to Luffy picking up on the two's strange feelings.

"Who on Earth were they?" Usopp asked from where he stood beside the navigator.

"Who cares?" Zoro asked, crossing his arms over his chest as they watched the two swim. Even though the man hadn't been able to figure out where he'd heard their names before, he wasn't all that bothered by it. It obviously wasn't all that important.

"We're landing," Luffy noted, turning to look at Whiskey Peak which was now right beside the Merry.

"There's a river at the front. Looks like we can go inland by ship." Nami said, focusing back on guiding the ship safely.

"I-Isn't it possible that there're monsters or things like that?" Usopp asked, his fear returning as he began shaking.

"It's definitely possible. This is the Grand Line." Sanji said, seemingly unfazed by the idea that there would be monsters.

"If we come across monsters, we can just fight 'em!" Luffy chirped happily, his previous misgivings gone at the idea of a good fight.

"What do you mean _we?!_ " Usopp and Nami asked frightfully before Nami remembered something.

"But you're right, we would have to stay anyway for a certain period of time." She said, wilting as she said this.

"Why?" Usopp asked, eyes wide at the prospect of having to stay with the possible island monsters.

"Unless we store the magnetism of this island in the log pose, we can't go to the next island. Since each island requires a different amount of time to store the log, some islands require only several hours while others require days." She explained, lifting her wrist to show them the log pose.

"Th-Then even when this is a monster island that we want to escape from right away..." Usopp trailed off.

"We would have to stay here for possibly days until the log is stored," Nami confirmed, finishing the man's sentence.

"Shishishi! We'll just deal with it when we have to. Let's go already!" Luffy laughed happily, ready to explore the island.

"Luffy's right. Let's go. It's not worth thinking about it." Zoro agreed, just as ready to land, though not entirely for the same reasons as the young Captain.

"No matter what happens, I'll protect Nami-san," Sanji said, pointing to himself with a smile.

"H-Hey, wait. Listen, everyone. My chronic illness is suddenly... My 'do not go to the island' disease is-"

"Then we're going in," Nami said, interrupting Usopp and ignoring him completely.

"No..." Usopp said weakly.

"Listen. Be prepared to run, as well as fight." Nami continued, clearly focusing more on the idea of running than fighting.

"Ah, well... like I said, my chronic illness is... Well, I guess you're not listening..." Usopp said, trailing off as he realized everyone wasn't paying his words any mind.

As the Merry sailed further inland, they were surrounded by a fog that blocked their view of the island right beside them. Luffy was undeterred by this, sitting on Merry's figurehead with a wide grin, waiting for anything to appear.

The further inland they got, the more people Luffy began feeling around them. Of course, this made sense seeing as they were going through an island, presumably inhabited by people, what made it worrying was the emotions that the people around them had.

"We should be careful here," Luffy told the others, his eyes darting around the fog as he warned his crew.

"W-why? What is it? I knew it, it's monsters, isn't it?!" Usopp asked, his shaking only getting worse as he tried seeing anything in the fog.

"No monsters that I can feel. Only people. But they're not nice." Luffy said, tilting his head as he took in more of the maliciousness in the air.

"A fight then," Zoro said, placing a hand on his swords as he inspected the fog as well.

"Someones moving!" Nami called out, pointing in the distance where they could just barely make out a person's shape. Usopp squeaked in fear while Sanji and Zoro tensed in preparation for a fight. Luffy didn't move yet, feeling the maliciousness in the man, yet also a deceitful happiness.

"Ah, dammit! Since it's come to this, I've prepared myself." Usopp said, his goggles over his eyes and slingshot in hand, legs still shaking. The fog around them began clearing, showing them that there were many people around them.

What they weren't expecting were the happy smiles and cheering.

"Welcome to the Grand Line! Welcome to our town! To the welcoming town, Whiskey Peak!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the late upload everyone, I was not expecting to be so busy these past few days. But hey, welcome 2021! And with the new year comes a new chapter; a long one too!
> 
> This chapter was a beast to put together, but also a lot of fun. We find out Crocus knows about facilities, and at the same time, we reach Whiskey Peak and make another call to the Whitebeards. Not to mention, Luffy got stuck as well. It was a lot of things to happen in just one chapter, but I didn't want to break any of it up, and so in the end we got a 9,000+ word chapter!
> 
> I don't plan on making Whiskey Peak drag out, so it'll probably only be one chapter on it before the crew is moving on once again. With that said though, I think next chapter will also be fairly long because of this. (Not that I think you all will be displeased about that). I'm as excited as all of you to get to places such as Drum and Alabasta, and I have some ideas as to some new scene ideas for these arcs.
> 
> Sorry again for missing the usual update day, but Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all stay safe and enjoy a wonderful 2021! Thank you for all of your love and support throughout 2020, even though it was a tough year for most everyone. You're kindness really helped motivate me when things were tough and gloomy, and I can only hope that my stories can bring you as much comfort and joy as you all have for me.
> 
> See you later with the next chapter!


	23. Not So Welcoming Whiskey Peak

"Welcome to the Grand Line! Welcome to our town! To the welcoming town, Whiskey Peak!" The cheering from the town confused the battle-ready crew. All of them, minus Luffy, were looking around with skepticism.

"I thought you said they weren't nice..." Usopp said, not seeing the angry mob he'd envisioned in the smiling town.

"They're pretending," Luffy said quietly, his eyes scanning over the deceptively friendly town. Despite their outward cheerfulness, Luffy could feel that they were faking it, that they had darker motives.

"Pretending?" Sanji asked, looking over the railing at the banners and confetti that were welcoming them. It was hard to believe Luffys words. Even though all of the crew- for the most part- believed Luffy wasn't lying about his abilities, it was still hard to believe that these people were just pretending.

"Are you sure your abilities aren't a little... I don't know... out of whack?" Usopp asked skeptically. Luffy only shook his head, face still set in a frown.

"No, they're faking." The confidence in Luffys voice was enough to convince the crew as they took another look at the welcoming town surrounding them. Even though it was still hard to believe, Luffy hadn't been wrong yet. Besides, it wouldn't hurt for them to be a little cautious. After all, how likely would it be for a town to welcome pirates?

"Pirates welcome to our town!"

"Hurray for the heroes on the sea!"

Trying to remember that they might be pretending, the crew slowly sailed by the cheering.

"Woah! There're a lot of cute girls!" Sanji swooned, eyes turning into hearts as he leaned over the railing to get a better look.

"Maybe pirates are people's heroes after all," Usopp said, blowing kisses to the crowds and forgetting that they could be acting. Nami face palmed from behind the two while Zoro only shook his head.

When they finally found a spot to dock, Luffy led the crew off the Merry. His eyes scanned the crowd in front of them. Despite the bad feelings coming from each and every one of them, there were only a handful that had grey colors. For the most part, the people of the town had a dark blue aura.

"Welco- ma-ma-ma... Welcome." The crew watched as a man with giant curls in his hair walked up to them. Taking in the man's emotions, Luffy found that they were the same as the rest of the town. Despite the welcoming air and smile on his face, the man did not have good intentions for them. Unlike the rest of the town, however, this man had a lighter blue than the rest. It wasn't the lightest blue he'd ever seen, but it was much nicer to look at than the darker blues surrounding him.

"My name is Igarappoi. I'm the Mayor of Whiskey Peak." Igarappoi greeted. Luffy felt that even the name 'Igarappoi' had given him was false, the man lying about it. Looking him up and down one more time though, Luffy only nodded to him instead of calling it out.

"Okay. I'm Luffy. Nice to meet you." Luffy said in response, his crew standing behind him.

"Whiskey Peak is a town that thrives on making liquor and music. Hospitality is the pride of our town. As for our liquor, it's as bountiful as the seawater. Would you allow us to throw a party for you so that we may hear your tales of... Ma-ma-ma... your tales of adventure?" Even though Luffy could feel Usopp and Sanji's interest piqued at the idea of a party, they didn't say anything, all of them still waiting for Luffys response.

With one more glance around the town, Luffy shrugged, smiling as well.

"Sure, why not?" At his words, Usopp and Sanji began dancing together about women and parties while Nami shook her head.

"By the way, how long will it take for the log of this island to be stored?" Nami asked, showing Igarappoi the log pose on her wrist.

"Log? Forget such boring stuff. Please just rest after such a long journey." As he spoke, he went over to wrap an arm around Nami's shoulder, and despite the light-heartedness in his tone and the smile on his face, Nami couldn't help but remember Luffy saying they were acting. Because of this she felt herself stiffen at the contact, but force a smile of her own.

If there was one good thing that came from Arlongs rule of terror, it was her ability to act under pressure.

"Now, everyone! Prepare for the party! Sing to entertain the adventurers!" Igarappoi announced, eliciting another round of cheering from the townspeople. Nami was reluctantly dragged along through the crowd, Usopp and Sanji following enthusiastically, leaving Luffy and Zoro watching after them.

"Be careful here Zoro," Luffy told his swordsman, keeping an eye on Nami to make sure Igarappoi didn't try anything.

"Right. But if you know they aren't nice, why'd you agree to a party?" Zoro asked curiously, eyeing the crowd suspiciously as he spoke. Because of this, it took a second to notice Luffy's wide grin.

"Because parties are fun!" With a laugh, Luffy ran off to catch up to the rest of his crew, leaving Zoro to scowl and shake his head.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

"Party time!"

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

The crew, as well as as many townspeople that could fit, were all crammed inside the town's bar. Drinks were poured, drunk, and then poured again, people danced, people laughed, people sang. A band was playing music in the corner of the bar, just as jubilant as the crowd listening, but they were nearly overshadowed by how loud everyone else was. It was dark outside now, the party in full swing.

Usopp was sitting telling stories to a large crowd of people, all of them hanging on to his every word. Although they seemed to be awed by his words, Luffy could feel that, like everything else, they were acting.

Zoro and Nami were in the middle of a drinking competition, Nami demanding the swordsman join once she found out the winner would get 100 thousand berri. So far, Nami was on her 12th cup while Zoro was on his 10th.

Sanji was in heaven as he sat with a large group of woman, trying to hit on each and every one of them at the same time.

And finally, Luffy was eating all the food he could want. At one point, one of the chefs passed out, overworked at attempting to feed Luffys bottomless pit. This didn't stop the Captain though as he started nabbing pieces off of everyone else's plates.

And despite the crew's antics, the townspeople merely laughed and went along with it, though their true feelings told Luffy they were still up to something.

Slowly, as time went by, the crew began wearing themselves out. It started with Zoro who faceplanted on the table, then Usopp, Sanji, Nami, and finally Luffy as he fell out of his chair and onto the ground, stuffed.

Many of the townspeople fell asleep as well, but Luffy knew that many were still awake. Of course, knowing that they were all up to something, he didn't let himself truly fall asleep. Thanks to the facility, even when he was sleeping he was still on alert. There had been too many times before Sabo had gotten his enhanced hearing that the brothers had been startled out of their sleep by doctors dragging them to testing. Because of this, Luffy was an incredibly light sleeper and he knew the second there was even a slight peaking in the towns' malicious feelings, he would be wide awake and alert.

It was a while after he'd 'fallen asleep' that Luffy felt Zoro wake up fully. The swordsman hadn't been completely unconscious, staying on guard like Luffy was. Although there were still a lot of townspeople in the bar, Zoro managed to get up and leave the bar without any of them noticing, Luffy watching through a peeked open eye. The young Captain had to hold in his laughter as he watched every person in the bar narrowly avoid seeing Zoro walking out the side door.

It didn't take long for them to notice that he was gone though, a large group of them running out the door in an attempt to get Zoro back. Seeing this, Luffy decided to 'wake up' as well.

"Man, that was some good food." He said, stretching as he stood up off the ground. This surprised the remaining townspeople as they spun to look at him.

"Y-you're awake!" One of them said, trying to hide his surprise and nervousness with a smile. It failed to work on Luffy though as he could feel his true emotions.

"Yup," Luffy said, scanning his eyes over the rest of his crew that were still asleep. Like Zoro and Luffy however, he felt that Nami was only feigning sleep rather than actually being unconscious. Ignoring this for now, Luffy turned to look at the small group of people here, knowing he could take them down easily.

"Ah, well, you really should get some more rest! After all, you've had such a long hard journey reaching the Grand Line." Another said with an equally nervous smile as the last man.

"Paradise." Luffy corrected, confusing them.

"What?" The man asked, his smile slipping to a look of confusion.

"We're in Paradise. And it wasn't that hard to get here. I had fun." Luffy said honestly. The group shared a look, Luffy feeling that they were trying to figure out what they were going to do. There was a turmoil in all of them until one finally felt courageous enough, their hand moving to their side and alerting Luffy that they had some type of hidden weapon there.

"Regardless, we're going to have to insist that you sit back down." The man said, his smile falling into a determined look. The rest of the group backed this up by moving their hands to their sides as well, some even pulling swords out.

"Nah, I don't want to," Luffy said, still grinning.

"In that case, you asked for it!" In one fluid motion, the man pulled out his gun and fired, but like always, the bullet bounced harmlessly off of Luffy's shoulder, flying off to the bar's ceiling and lodging itself there. The group in front of Luffy gaped, obviously not expecting that.

"He's wanted alive!" One of them hissed.

"I aimed for the shoulder!" The one that shot said.

"Didn't matter anyway, it flew off 'im. He really is a monster." Another said fearfully.

"Monster or not, he's worth too much to pass up!" A fourth said, one holding a sword. After speaking, the man charged forward, intent on maiming or just injuring. The teen didn't wait to find out which it was, swaying to the right as the man attempted slicing his left arm. As quick as the man swung his sword, Luffy swung his fist down onto the man's head, knocking him out instantly.

"Ah shit, I didn't sign up for this..." Said a man from the group.

"We're bounty hunters, what did you think you were signing up for?!" The one beside him asked.

"Humans! I signed up for humans! That is not human!" Luffy frowned at the words but tried his best not to let them affect him. He'd heard plenty like this before after all, what was one more- and probably many more in the future- to the list.

"Gum Gum..."

"That doesn't sound good..."

"Whip!" Swinging his leg out, Luffy knocked down the group of about twelve, all of them crashing out of the bar's front doors.

"Nami, you can go get your money now," Luffy said, referring to the winnings Nami had yet to get from the Mayor. The orange-haired woman rose her head, blinking at Luffy in surprise for a second.

"How'd you know-"

"I felt it," Luffy answered, already knowing what she was going to ask.

"Right. I guess I'll leave it up to you then." She said, giving him a thumbs-up before further into the bar. Luffy took one more look at Usopp and Sanji who were still passed out, making sure they were still unharmed. Unlike Nami, Zoro, and Luffy, these two weren't faking their sleep. Luffy could feel that they were both deeply unconscious, their muted feelings blissfully unaware as to what was happening around them.

Turning his attention away from the two, Luffy walked out the front doors where he'd kicked the group out of. Walking out, he saw the aforementioned group scrambling to their feet, and another, much larger group of townspeople as well as the Mayor behind them.

"H-He's awake! The monster! 11097!" There were gasps and murmurs from the crowd as they looked at Luffy with wide eyes.

"It's no matter! There are about 100 of us he- ma-ma-ma... here right now. We can take him down." The mayor said from the front. Knowing that this fight would be nothing but a warm-up, Luffy turned to look towards Zoro who was standing on the bar's roof.

"You remembered who they were," Luffy said more than he asked. He could feel that the turmoil of trying to remember why he knew Miss. Wednesday and Mr. 9 had finally passed and instead, he was filled with recognition.

"That's right. They're called Baroque Works." Zoro responded, hopping down off the roof to join Luffy.

"You bastard! How is it that you know our company's name?!" Mr. 9, who Luffy hadn't realized was standing by the Mayor along with Miss Wednesday, asked. Everyone was even more shocked than they had been earlier, clearly in disbelief- and maybe even a little scared- over the fact that Zoro knew of them.

"When I used to be in a similar line of work, I was recruited by your company once. Naturally, I rejected it. Employees don't know each other's identity and are called by code names. Of course, the boss's whereabouts and his identity are also a mystery, even to them. Baroque Works is a criminal group that just faithfully carries out their orders. Hmph! Was it a secret?" Zoro asked with a menacing grin.

"Well, this is surprising... If you know our secrets, then we have no other choice but to kill you. Another gravestone will be added to the Cactus Rocks." Igarappoi said, Luffy feeling that he truly intended on killing them right now, blue aura or not.

"Kill them!" The Mayor yelled, pointing angrily in their direction. The effect was immediate as the crowd of 100 bounty hunters charged forward towards Luffy and Zoro. Both of them weren't worried in the slightest though, the two of them watching calmly as the crowd charged them.

"You got this?" Luffy asked, already turning around and walking back towards the bar. Zoro turned to look at him in confusion for a minute before grinning and nodding.

"This'll be easy," Zoro said confidently, pulling out his swords as he faced the crowd again. Luffy laughed at that, nodding.

"I'll leave it to you then," Luffy said, just as confident as Zoro was that the swordsman would be fine.

"Alright. Shall we?" Luffy heard Zoro ask before the sounds of a fight started. As much as Luffy wanted a good fight, he also knew he should probably get Usopp and Sanji back to the Merry, lest they get caught up in the fighting while they were unconscious.

Stepping in, Luffy immediately spotted his two crewmates, still just as passed out as when he'd left them. They both had smiles on their faces and drool coming from their mouths, blissfully unaware of what was happening outside.

Walking over to Usopp first since he was the closest, Luffy picked him up and slung him over his left shoulder. Moving to Sanji next, he slung the man over his right before turning to leave the bar again.

"Let me tell you Captain Usopps tale #731!" Usopp said in his sleep.

"Beautiful women everywhere!" Sanji cooed in his sleep as well. Luffy ignored the two he had in tow as he walked out of the bar, noticing that the fight had moved into the side alleys of the town and there was no one outside of the bar anymore. It made his job easier, but Luffy wouldn't lie and say he hadn't been hoping to fight someone himself.

The walk back to the Merry was peaceful despite the distant sounds of gunshots in the distance. Even though he was getting farther away, Luffy could still feel Zoro's emotions and because of that, he was keeping some attention on it to make sure Zoro didn't get into anything he couldn't handle. While he trusted that Zoro could handle everyone here, that didn't mean that the swordsman wouldn't run into any problems.

As expected, Zoro was fine. There was the occasional flare of pain, but it always subsided quickly, telling Luffy it was nothing serious.

When Luffy finally reached the Merry he put Sanji and Usopp into the men's room, and once they were safe he went back to join Zoro. It was at this point that there was a flare of pain in Zoro that didn't subside as easily as all the other flares. It wasn't anything serious, but it told Luffy that someone had gotten a semi-decent hit on the swordsman.

By the time Luffy was walking over to where Zoro was at, he saw that Igarappoi, Miss Wednesday, and Mr. 9 were standing amongst tens of bounty hunters that Zoro had taken down, only a handful still standing. Zoro was standing on the roof of a nearby home, his forehead bleeding and a body at his feet.

"It seems it's finally our turn to fight." Miss Wednesday said in determination.

"You may know this, but in Baroque Works, the smaller the number, the higher his level, and destructive power are. The three of us, Mr. 9, Mr. 8, and Miss Wednesday, are agents with a single-digit number, which means we're powerful people who are beyond comparison to those you just beat." Mr. 9 said, raising a pinky in the air as he grinned devilishly, clearly thinking he was going to scare Zoro with his words.

"Zoro could take you all," Luffy said as he continued to casually walk up to the group. It was obvious that the members of Baroque Works had forgotten about him, all of them spinning around with wide eyes.

"11097!" Mr. 9 squeaked, his previous confidence gone at the sight of Luffy.

"You're back," Zoro said in lieu of a greeting.

"Yeah. Usopp and Sanji are still sleeping. Nami's... somewhere over there." Luffy said, gesturing vaguely in the direction he could both smell and sense the navigator. Turning his attention back to the three Baroque Works agents and the small handful of bounty hunters, Luffy grinned.

"Want help?" He asked, already knowing what Zoro's answer would be.

"No, I got this Captain." Smile widening at Zoro's predictable answer, Luffy sat down against one of the buildings.

"I'm gonna take a nap then," Luffy said with a yawn. It was late in the night, the moon high in the sky now. He hadn't gotten much sleep earlier, so it would be nice to rest a while longer while he could.

"Don't underestimate us!" The Baroque Works agents screeched. Luffy ignored them though, even when Igarappoi pulled out what looked to be an instrument but turned out to be a gun. Before the man could attempt to use it on Luffy, Zoro came down from the rooftop and stopped him, drawing the agents' attention to him.

"You're fighting me right now. Let's see how good you guys really are."

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

The feeling of someone using his stomach as a bounce pad woke Luffy up. Blinking and looking around in confusion, the young Captain tried to figure out where he was and what was happening. It didn't take long for him to remember though as a cry from above showed Zoro slicing Igarappoi across the chest, defeating the Mayor of the town. As the man fell, Luffy noticed that the rest of Baroque Works were down as well, Zoro having successfully beaten them all.

Standing up and stretching, Luffy grabbed onto the roof that Zoro was now sitting on, joining his swordsman up there as the man pulled out a bottle of alcohol.

"Nice work Zoro." Luffy complimented, sitting beside the man.

"Thanks. So are we leaving now?" The swordsman asked as he took a swig of his drink. Luffy shrugged, leaning back on his hands and looking at the sky.

"I don't know. Nami said before that we had to wait for the log to set, right?" Luffy asked.

"Ah, right. I forgot about that. Well, at least there's plenty of alcohol still around." Zoro said as he continued drinking. Luffy started to laugh at that when he felt two new people arrive, stronger than Mr. 9, Mr. 8, and Miss Wednesday had been. Seeing the shift in Luffys posture, Zoro looked off towards where his Captain was looking.

"What's up?" He asked, wanting to know what Luffy was feeling that he couldn't.

"Two more people just got here. They're stronger than the guys you just fought." Luffy said, turning to look forward again, clearly not worried by them. Seeing this, Zoro decided he wouldn't worry about it either, finishing off his drink instead.

It was only quiet for another second when an explosion sounded to their right, a flash of light signaling that something blew up.

"Nami's here," Luffy told Zoro, motioning down the street where the navigator was sneaking around.

"Oh, good, we can leave then," Zoro said, moving to stand. Before he could though, Luffy grabbed his wrist, pulling him back down.

"Hey, what're you doing?" He asked in confusion, only barely noticing the two new people walking along the road beside the building they were on top of. Nami was able to sidle up against the other side of the building to keep from being seen, which is why Luffy hadn't stopped or grabbed her.

Whoever these two new people were, they were the ones that had just arrived; the stronger ones. They were full of malice and determination, their auras a dark grey that Luffy hadn't seen from anyone else on the island thus far.

"They're not good people," Luffy said quietly to Zoro. The swordsman frowned but remained silent at that; Zoro, Luffy, and Nami all watching as the two new arrivals walked over to where Mr. 9, Mr. 8, and Miss Wednesday were sitting after Zoro had defeated them. There was also a duck there as well, but Luffy had no idea where it'd come from seeing as he'd been asleep.

The three straw hats remained silent, listening as the Baroque Agents spoke to each other. They found out the two new arrivals were Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, two agents higher up than the three Zoro had taken down already which explained why they were stronger.

At first, it seemed that Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were here to help the other agents with taking down Zoro, Luffy, and the rest of the crew, but it was quickly evident that that wasn't the case. They started talking about how someone found out the boss' secrets, whatever they were, and that they were there to take them down now.

They started to explain that the two that had done this were from the Alabastan Kingdom, somewhere Luffy had never heard of before, but before they could reveal just who it was, Igarappoi stood, guns coming from the giant rolls in his hair and firing.

"Die! Igarappappa!" There was a loud explosion as all of the guns fired at once, kicking up a dust cloud.

"I won't let you lay a finger on our princess! On my name as Squad Captain of Alabasta Kingdom Security!" The man yelled, holding his arms out at his sides to block Miss Wednesday from any harm.

"Igaram!" Miss Wednesday yelled, eyes wide.

"I thought his name was Igarama- Igarapa- Ipa- Igarappoi," Luffy said, struggling to get the name right.

"He was obviously lying," Zoro said, reminding Luffy that he had known that from the beginning.

"Oh, yeah, right." The Captain said, turning his attention back to the group below them.

"Igaram, the Squad Captain of Alabasta Kingdom Security. And it's Princess Nefertari Vivi. In the name of Baroque Works' boss, we'll eliminate you two." Mr. 5 said, holding up a picture of Miss Wednesday, now revealed to be named Vivi. The dust cleared, showing that the two were completely unaffected by the blast, but Igaram didn't stop, instead firing off more rounds in a vain attempt at stopping what was to come.

It seemed that this was all Igaram could do though as he fell forward, exhausted after his fight with Zoro and now this.

"Igaram!" Vivi called out in worry, rushing to the man's side.

"It's no use!" Miss Valentine called out from high up in the air, her umbrella open above her. Then, she was plummeting down fast towards Vivi, kicking out her leg towards the woman. Vivi was able to dodge, but her metal hairband holding her hair up was broken, showing the strength behind Miss Valentine's kick. Despite being at a clear disadvantage and already tired as well like Igaram, Vivi still attempted to fight back, hooking a ring on her finger that had a sharp disc on the end of a wire that looked like a peacock feather. Spinning it rapidly, she swung it out towards Miss Valentine but the woman dodged effortlessly, floating back to Mr. 5's side.

"You monsters!" Vivi yelled at the two agents, clearly distressed.

"V-Vivi, you're a princess?!" Mr. 9 asked from the ground, still in shock over that detail.

"This isn't time for joking Mr. 9!" Vivi yelled, turning her distress towards the man.

"Vivi-sama! Never mind me! Just please... escape from here! For our motherland..." Igaram said desperately from the ground, not able to look back towards Vivi.

"Without you, our kingdom of Alabasta will be... Please! Hurry!" Igaram continued to plead. Vivi didn't even have any time to decide what she wanted to do when Mr. 5 started digging up his nose.

"You think you can escape from us?" He asked, Luffy feeling that he was getting ready to attack, but not knowing what to expect.

"Don't mess with me!" Vivi roared, forgetting her worry momentarily as she pulled out a second ring that she put on her other hands pinky, spinning the two discs simultaneously. Before anyone could make a move to attack though, Mr. 9 stood up in front of both Igaram and Vivi, holding his bat out in front of Vivi.

"I'm having a hard time swallowing what's going on here, but we've been a pair for a long time. I'll buy you some time! Get going, Miss Wednesday!" Mr. 9 said, smiling at Vivi.

"Mr. 9!"

"Pretty manly, wouldn't you say? Bye-bye, baby! Hot Blooded Bat..." At that, Mr. 9 began flipping towards Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, determined to do as he'd said and hold them off. Luffy felt himself smile at the action, remembering something he'd learned a long time ago.

People with good colors could still do bad things and people with bad colors could still do good things.

"Come on Zoro, it's time for us to go," Luffy said, standing from where they'd been perched and moving to where Nami was hiding, grabbing her and pulling her up with them. She yelped at the sudden feeling of being pulled, but once she realized who it was, she didn't protest any further.

"What the hell! Warn me first!" She yelled, still irked at the surprise.

"Shishishi, sorry, but we gotta get going!" Luffy told her, he and Zoro turning to look where Mr. 9 was getting closer to Mr. 5.

"You're right about that. I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, but it's not something I think we should get ourselves caught up in." Nami said with a nod, getting ready to head to the Merry. She didn't have a chance to even start though when Luffy jumped off the roof, running towards Igaram and Vivi and grabbing the two under his arms.

"W-what?!" Vivi and Igaram asked simultaneously, the two not having expected this just as Nami hadn't expected being grabbed.

"Let's go, guys!" Luffy called to his crewmates, laughing as he continued running down the street.

"What's that idiot up to now?!" Zoro asked in irritation.

"Who knows with him!" Nami said, just as annoyed. Regardless, the two followed after him, ignoring the sounds of explosions coming from behind them.

"Sir Captain, I have a request of you, as unreasonable as that sounds!" Igaram said to Luffy. The teen stopped in his laughing, looking at Igaram in confusion while Zoro yelled from behind them.

"You were trying to kill us earlier and now you're asking for favors?!" The swordsman yelled in irritation but was ignored.

"Huh? What is it?" Luffy asked, wondering what the man wanted.

"Might I ask you to protect the princess in my place?! Those two back there are both devil fruit users, and I have no means of fighting them alone. Please, keep her safe in my steed!" Igaram began pleading again.

"Igaram!" Vivi called over to the man.

"If you can safely deliver the princess to the great kingdom of Alabasta far East of here... I promise that you will be rewarded immensely! I humbly beg of you! Please, keep the princess safe!" Igaram continued. Zoro and Nami were close enough behind them to hear the conversation and at the mention of a reward, Nami sped up beside them, greed in her eyes.

"Is this 'immense reward' for real?" She asked with a sly grin.

"I'll take up that offer! How does one billion berries sound?" She continued with a wink. Luffy blinked at her but didn't stop her either while Vivi and Igaram gaped at her.

"O-one billion be-?!" The two couldn't find their words anymore, too shocked by the demanded reward to speak.

"Will you promise us the one billion, Squad Captain? If you don't ask for our help, your princess probably will die..." Nami pushed deviously. Vivi blanched at that while Igaram looked to be struggling with an answer.

"A mere soldier like me can't promise such large sums of money..." He said, trying to get out of answering directly.

"You're not suggesting a princess is worth less than that, are you? Pay it." Nami said, smile growing larger.

"Now she's threatening him!" Zoro said in disbelief from behind them.

"Hey, they're chasing us," Luffy told everyone, feeling that Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine had taken down Mr. 9 and were now coming after them. At this news, Namis smile only seemed to grow if possible while Igaram and Vivi began squirming in fear.

"In that case, if you're willing to safely deliver the princess there, it would be best if you negotiate the terms with her directly!" Igaram said, Vivi sending him a look of betrayal at that answer.

"Oh? Is that so? Well then, Princess, what'll it be? One billion for keeping you safe?" Nami asked.

"I-I... that is... Uh... Why don't we work out the numbers after we're not in danger anymore?" Vivi asked weakly. The promise of there being money for sure seemed to be enough to appease Nami as she patted Luffy on the back.

"In that case, I leave it up to you Luffy!" She said, still grinning widely.

"Right!" Luffy replied, not realizing he was being used for Nami's money-making schemes. Besides, he'd already decided a while ago what he was going to do, regardless of if they were paid or not.

"I'm so ashamed! If only I'd been stronger, I could have protected the princess!" Igaram said pitifully.

"Don't worry about it! He's insanely strong!" Nami said, clearly not worried herself.

"If anything should happen to the princess- to Vivi-sama... the Kingdom of Alabasta will be finished... She must live!" He finished darkly. Namis smile fell at that, realizing that there was a lot more at stake here than she'd originally thought. Under Luffys other arm, Vivi looked to the ground, sharing Igarams feelings on the subject.

Luffy wanted to ask plenty of questions about what was happening- because he wasn't entirely following the conversation- but his haki warned him that they should stop running- _now_. Listening to this, he skidded to a halt, dropping Vivi and Igaram to the ground and stopping Nami from running forward with his now free arm. Zoro was behind them, so he was able to stop himself before he ran past them, wondering what was up.

Only seconds later, an explosion went off right where they would have been.

"Mr. 5..." Vivi whispered from the ground, her eyes wide.

"I'm a bomb man. I can make my entire body explode. Thanks to this Bomb-Bomb fruit power, there is no mission I've never completed!" Mr. 5 said confidently from behind them.

"Using my Kilo-Kilo fruit power, I'll bury Miss Wednesday into the ground!" A voice from the sky said. They looked up to see that Miss Valentine was floating in the air, twirling her umbrella in front of her as she grinned maliciously towards them.

"I'm able to change my body weight at will! Right now I'm light enough to be lifted by the wind! But now, it's time to get heavy! 2 kilograms... 3 kilograms..." They watched as Miss valentine slowly began picking up speed, plummeting towards them faster and faster.

"5 kilograms... 10 kilograms... 100 kilograms... 1000 kilograms! 10,000 kilograms!" Not wanting Igaram and Vivi to get crushed, Luffy looked over to Zoro, grabbing the two by the back of their shirts and tossing him in his direction.

"Zoro! Nami! Run!" Luffy called to them, wanting them to get out of the way while they could. They didn't hesitate to do just that, seeing what their future would be if they didn't. Zoro easily caught the two bodies thrown at him and ran off, Nami hot on his heels while Luffy remained motionless. He watched as Miss Valentine sped closer and closer, a manic grin on her face as she saw that Luffy was going to be an easy target.

Luffy let her plummet closer and closer until she was only inches away from him, at which point he used gear second to move out of the way. Since he moved so fast, Miss Valentine had no time to readjust her weight or turn course to Luffys new spot, and instead she barreled into the ground, creating a large crater around her. This didn't seem to faze the woman as she floated out of the hole, only mildly perturbed as she went back to Mr. 5's side.

"So you're 11097, otherwise known as Monkey D. Luffy." Mr. 5 said, he and Miss Valentine eyeing Luffy carefully.

"Why would you want to protect the princess of Alabasta?" He asked, glancing to where Vivi was now standing beside Zoro and Nami.

"Why not? She's a good person." Luffy said matter of factly, looking at the dark colors around Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine again, the colors contrasting Vivi's bright blue.

"I guess it's really no matter. You're our enemy, one way or the other. You're in our way." Mr. 5 continued. Beside him, Miss Valentine's grin grew again.

"Yeah! He is!" She agreed with a laugh. With that said, Mr. 5 began picking his nose again, Nami cringing in disgust while Zoro and Luffy watched without expression. He didn't even say anything as he flicked the booger he picked towards Luffy. Like before, Luffy didn't move, letting what was now a bomb come hurtling his way, knowing it wouldn't affect him in the slightest.

As expected, there was a loud explosion, but when the dust settled, Luffy was still standing, as unaffected as he'd predicted.

"Why does everyone always use explosives?" The young Captain asked with a small pout. Time and time again, he would fight enemies who always thought explosives were going to work on Luffy. While normally explosives would be extremely useful against normal people, Luffy was not a normal person and all explosives did were briefly make the air hot.

Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 were both surprised to see Luffy unharmed, and even though Mr. 5 didn't show his surprise on his face, Luffy could still feel it in him.

"I'm taking Vivi back to her home. If you want to stop me you're going to have to be a lot stronger than that." Luffy said, already knowing who was going to win this fight. His words did nothing but rile the two up though, their anger rising.

"Don't mock us! We're Baroque Officer Agents!" Miss Valentine spat out with a glare.

"Mr. 5, let's show him what we can do!" She said, the bomb man nodding in agreement. The two ran forward, ready to attack Luffy, but there wasn't much they were going to be able to do against Luffy. Their two devil fruits were useless against Luffy who was immune to both explosions as well as being crushed. Because of that, Luffy knew that this fight was going to be no fun, and so as to avoid drawing this out any longer than necessary, he waited until they were close enough before hitting the two over the head. The hit was strong enough that the two immediately fell unconscious, crumpling to the ground like Luffy expected they would.

"Alright, they're out," Luffy said, turning to look at his crew, as well as their two new companions. Vivi and Igaram were staring at him with wide eyes, shocked by this show of strength, while Nami and Zoro were unfazed by it by now.

"He took out two Baroque Agents?!" Vivi and Igaram asked incredulously. Beside them, Nami grinned mischievously again.

"That's right. I told you he was insanely strong, remember? Now, about that payment. One billion? It's a pretty good offer if you ask me." The navigator said, both Igaram and Vivi blanching at the mention of payment.

"N-now hold on, before we start discussing payment, we have to worry about how you'll be leaving this island, correct?" Igaram asked, trying to steer the conversation away from money.

"What are you talking about? We've got our own ship we can use." Zoro said in confusion.

"While yes, you have a ship and log pose that you can follow, that doesn't stop the whole of Baroque Works that is now going to be after you," Igaram explained, sitting up the best he could.

"Don't worry, I can fight 'em all!" Luffy said, grabbing his bicep with a grin.

"I don't doubt that, but we don't want them to know where the princess truly is. If they do, it will give them time to prepare once they see how close to Alabasta she is." The man continued.

"So what are we supposed to do about that?" Zoro asked, though like Luffy, he wasn't seeing how this was a big deal.

"I have a plan for that. You four stay here, I'll be right back." With that the man stood, hobbling back into town. They watched him go, the straw hats in confusion while Vivi watched in concern, but no one stopped him.

"Now, about that payment?" Nami pestered again, Vivi sighing in defeat.

"I do appreciate your saving me. Thank you. And I know I mislead you before into saving me, but I can't." Vivi said, looking down in shame.

"What do you mean you cant? You're a princess. One billion shouldn't be much..." Nami said in confusion.

"Do you know of the kingdom known as Alabasta?" Vivi asked, looking up at Nami with a frown.

"No," Nami said, wondering what that had to do with anything. Behind her, Luffy and Zoro shared a look before shaking their heads as well, none of them knowing about the kingdom. Looking down again, Vivi's frown deepened.

"It's a peaceful kingdom known as a great civilization and nation. Well, it used to be." She said, her emotions growing sadder and sadder as she spoke.

"Used to be? What about now?" Nami asked in concern. Even if she'd never heard of the place herself, it was still someone's home, and to hear it wasn't doing so well made Nami concerned for the people that lived there.

"It's in the middle of a civil war. For years now, signs of a revolution have begun to appear. The people revolted, and the kingdom fell into total chaos... Then, one day, I heard the name of an organization... Baroque Works!" At those words, Vivi rose her head to show the rage on her face, a hatred burning inside her that nearly influenced Luffy.

"I learned that the populace was being manipulated by this group. But there was a tight lid on any other information than that, and there was nothing more I could do. That's when I asked Igaram, who always meddled in my business since childhood, for help. I asked him if there was a way I could infiltrate Baroque Works. Because that would let us see who was pulling the strings and what their goal was." Vivi admitted. At her words, Zoro found himself grinning, holding on to his swords at his side.

"You're a pretty high-spirited princess. So? Did you figure out this goal of theirs?" The swordsman asked curiously. Vivi nodded in confirmation.

"The founding of an ideal nation. Those who work for Mr. 0 are guaranteed a high standing in this new nation. The stronger you are, the lower your number, and the higher the standing you'll have. The boss says this is all to create an ideal nation, but it's an enormous lie! The true goal is to take over Alabasta Kingdom! I have to hurry back, tell everyone the truth, and stop the fighting! If I don't do something... If I don't do something..." Vivi couldn't even finish her sentence, her fists clenched so tightly in her lap that they were shaking.

"I see. So that's the deal. Now everything finally connects. There'd be no money during a civil war, huh..." Nami asked, because even though she felt bad for the kingdom itself, she also felt bad that there wasn't a one billion beli reward in her future.

"Hey, who is pulling the strings?" Luffy asked curiously, wanting to know if it was someone strong. Surely it had to be if they had such a large organization following them, but Luffy knew that it wasn't always the case that the head of something would be strong.

"T-the boss' identity?!" Vivi asked, eyes widening in surprise that he'd asked.

"Y-you shouldn't ask that!" She warned worriedly.

"You know who it is, right?" Luffy continued asking in confusion, wondering what the big deal was. Vivi's fear only grew at this though, the princess waving her hands rapidly in front of herself.

"Don't ask me! Anything but that! Your lives will be put in danger too!" Vivi said fearfully.

"I think I'll pass on that. After all, these guys are trying to take over an entire country! They're obviously insanely dangerous people!" Nami said with a nervous laugh, sweating at the thought.

"Yes! They are! As strong as you people maybe, you'd never stand a chance against one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile!" There was a beat of silence as everyone realized what Vivi had just said, and once they did, Vivi and Nami both paled, jaws dropped and eyes wide.

" _Who now?!_ " Nami screeched fearfully.

"You just said it..." Zoro deadpanned, not knowing exactly how he felt about that. As they were recovering from the shock of Vivi outing the boss' identity to them, they noticed that beside them there was a vulture and sea otter staring at them. Like when Vivi spilled the beans, no one spoke as they processed what they were seeing. When the two flew off, Nami turned to Vivi, shaking her furiously, tears falling.

"What was that bird and sea otter?!" She demanded, shaking the princess harshly.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Vivi repeated over and over, tears falling down her face as well.

"Are they going to tell someone?!" Nami continued to demand, fearing for her life. Despite all of this though, Luffy only felt himself growing excited.

"Hey, a warlord!" He cheered to Zoro who grinned back.

"Not too shabby!" The swordsman said.

"I-I'm very sorry! It just slipped out!" Vivi continued, still being thrown around by Nami in the background.

"Like that really fixes things now! Why did you have to drag us down with you?!" Nami barked back, all while Luffy continued laughing.

"Being hunted by a warlord the moment we enter the Grand Line is too much for me!" Nami said, finally dropping Vivi on the ground and crying into her hands.

"We're lucky we can see him so soon!" Zoro said to Luffy, the two still unfazed by Nami and Vivi's distress, too focused on what they knew would be a much more interesting fight than all the ones they'd had so far.

"I wonder what he's like!" Luffy agreed.

"Shut up you two!" Nami barked again before she began walking off in anger.

"It's been a short acquaintance, but I thank you for everything!" She called, not turning back as she marched off down the street.

"Where are you going?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"They don't know what we look like yet! I'm running away!" Nami stated, only to walk up to the otter and vulture from before. The otter was scribbling something on a piece of paper, which they turned to show were three portraits of Nami, Luffy, and Zoro.

"Wow! That's so good!" Nami complimented right before realizing what she was seeing. Turning around in a rage, she yelled back to the three who were watching.

"I guess this means there's nowhere to run now, huh?!" The navigator yelled furiously.

"I'm sorry!" Vivi called back.

"She's funny!" Luffy laughed.

"Where was she planning to run to, anyway?" Zoro asked before grinning.

"Guess this means all three of us are on Baroque Work's hit list now." The swordsman said, eliciting more laughter from Luffy.

"That's exciting!" Luffy said, thinking of all the fun to come. Nami, however, was sitting on the ground, arms holding her legs tightly to her chest as a wave of depression rolled off of her.

"I-I do have 500,000 Berries in savings..." Vivi said in an attempt to comfort the other woman, still feeling bad that she'd dragged them all into this unwillingly.

"Fear not! Its- ma-ma-ma... It's all right! As I said earlier, I have a plan!" The group- sans Nami- turned to see Igaram who was now dressed in the same clothing as Vivi, his giant hair now tamed into a ponytail that matched how Vivi's had looked earlier, save for the curls at the bottom of it. In his arms he held three stuffed dummies with crude drawings for faces.

"Igaram! What are those clothes?!" Vivi asked, turning her attention away from Nami who was still sitting depressingly on the ground.

"You look hilarious in those, old guy!" Luffy said, walking over to the man and getting a closer look at the strange get-up.

"It's idiot after idiot..." Nami muttered weakly, her back still to Igaram and the rest.

"Vivi-sama, please listen to me carefully. Once Baroque Works' intelligence network learns of something, pursuers will come after you almost immediately. On top of that, if you know the boss' secrets... You know what happens." Igaram said to the princess who listened carefully.

"A thousand or so people will come after you." She answered, only causing Namis fear to grow rapidly.

"Therefore, I will pretend to be you, like so, and sail straight to Alabasta with three dummies onboard." Igaram continued while Luffy poked said dummies.

"These are supposed to be us?" The teen asked.

"A decoy, huh..." Zoro said, also eyeing the dummies.

"While the pursuers are busy with me, all of you will head to Alabasta via the normal route," Igaram said, ignoring the two.

"Hold it! Who said we were gonna take the princess there?! We still haven't come to an agreement you know!" Nami said weakly, standing up finally.

"Don't worry, we'll take her," Luffy assured, much to Namis disliking.

"Crocodile is gonna come after us, you know!" She screeched, holding a fist in the air as she did.

"Is Crocodile really that strong?" Luffy asked, wondering why Nami was getting so worked up over this. Sure, the man was a warlord, and Luffy knew warlords were supposed to be strong, but _how_ strong?

"He's one of the seven warlords of the sea. He's a legally recognized pirate, and thus has no bounty on his head. However, the bounty he did have long ago was 80 million berries." Igaram told the Captain.

"80 million?! That's four times Arlong's bounty! Say no!" Nami demanded, the tears falling again.

"Will you do it?" Igaram asked Luffy seriously, all of them ignoring Namis yelling.

"Yeah! It sounds like fun!" At Luffys response, Nami put her head in her hand, wilting.

"I am ever grateful!" Igaram said, Luffy feeling the man's gratitude was real.

Even though Nami was still extremely opposed to this idea, she still followed when they all began heading to Igarams ship, but that didn't mean she was happy about it in the slightest. The entire way, Luffy could feel her fear and nervousness, though she had stopped showing it as expressly as she had before. Zoro, like Luffy, was nothing but excited while Vivi and Igaram were much more subdued and tense. The mixture of emotions was strange, but Luffy tried focusing more on what was to come rather than the strange amalgamation of emotions he could feel now.

When they finally reached the ship, Igaram turned to face them, Vivi walking over to him as she sensed a farewell.

"Now, then. I, Vivi, will leave from here." Igaram said, imitating Vivi's voice.

"That's a perfect imitation, old guy!" Luffy praised.

"Imitation of who?!" Nami asked, knowing that no one in their right mind would believe that was Vivi's voice.

"Now then, Princess. Please give me the Eternal Pose." Igaram requested, his voice back to normal as he held his hand out for the object. With a heavy heart, Vivi did as told and pulled the pose out, handing it over.

"Eternal Pose?" Nami questioned, her fear momentarily forgotten.

"You've never heard of it? I suppose you could say it's a permanent version of a log pose. Whereas a log pose always leads ships to the next island, an eternal pose will never forget the magnetic energy of the island that is stored in it. Meaning it will forever point to that island alone. And this one is set to Alabasta." Igaram explained, holing up the Eternal Pose Vivi had given him, the word Alabasta etched in the top.

"You're going to use this to go to Alabasta?" Vivi asked, looking up at Igaram.

"Vivi-sama. Please take the indirect island-hopping route to Alabasta. I've not taken the path myself, but it should only be two or three islands if you follow the Log." As Igaram and Vivi spoke, the straw hats watched on silently, not interrupting the two.

"Please take good care of the princess." Igaram requested, Luffy nodding his agreement. He already said he would, and he planned on upholding his word.

"Igaram..." Looking to Vivi as she spoke, the man saw that the princess looked to be holding back tears.

"I expect it will be a harsh journey. Be careful on your way." He said in lieu of comforting her.

"Iga-!" Vivi stopped herself, another rapid mixture of emotions flowing through her as she fought back the sadness. Instead, she put on a smile, holding out a hand that Igaram grabbed without question.

"You too!" With that, the man boarded his ship, dummies at his side while the rest stayed back and watched. For once, the fear in Nami was gone as she watched with a smile that the rest shared.

"There he goes! He was a funny old guy, to the very end!" Luffy said cheerfully, happy that Igaram hadn't turned out to be as bad a guy as his first impression had made him out to be.

"He really is reliable." Vivi agreed, turning to watch the ship sail further and further away. They were about ready to leave, the ship far in the distance, when Luffy felt a spike in darkness that made his skin crawl. Before he could warn anyone, there was a loud explosion that lit up the sky, a blast of heat blowing past them.

"No!" Nami cried out, everyone's smiles gone as they watched Igarams ship explode right in front of them.

"That's impossible! They're already after us?!" Vivi asked in disbelief. Luffy put his hat on his head since it had fallen off during the blast and frowned. He could feel that Igaram was still alive, but there wasn't anything they could do right now to go help him, not when there was someone with the darkness nearby, clearly ready to hurt, or even kill, if necessary.

"Nami, what's the log say?" Zoro asked, an air of franticness rising at the new danger.

"We're okay! It's stored up!" She called back, checking the Pose to be sure.

"Bring her with us! We're setting sail!" Zoro said, referring to Vivi who was still standing motionlessly at the water's edge, watching the explosion that had yet to die down.

"Vivi! Vivi!" Nami called, running up to the woman.

"Hurry! If they find us, it'll all be for nothing!" Nami said, trying to reason with the princess. As she got up beside her though and saw her face, she saw that Vivi was biting her lip so hard it was starting to bleed. Even though they had to hurry, Nami couldn't help but hug the woman, trying to comfort her the best she could under the circumstances.

"Don't worry! We will get you there! I know they don't look like it..." Nami started, feeling the tears from Vivi falling on her shoulder.

"Luffy, where're Sanji and Usopp?!" Zoro called from the distance, he and the Captain running off.

"I brought them to the Merry! They were still sleeping!" Luffy called back.

"Let's wake them up and get ready to set sail!" Zoro said, Luffy nodding in agreement.

"Just the four of them! Baroque Works?! Crocodile?! Ha! The seven warlords are nothing at all!" Nami said with a grin despite the fact that she was sweating nervously. Even though only moments ago she had been worried for her life, Nami knew that right now they needed Vivi to trust them and go back to the Merry.

With Namis comfort, Vivi finally nodded, the two women turning to follow after Zoro and Luffy. The two guys had a head start, and because of that Nami and Vivi had to run as fast as they could to catch up. Nami, well versed in the art of running away, was faster than Vivi which she noticed quickly.

"Hurry up, Vivi!" She called back, the princess doing her best to catch up.

"R-right!" Vivi called back, looking around as she ran.

By now, Zoro and Luffy had reached the Merry, Zoro lifting the anchor while Luffy attempted to wake up Sanji and Usopp.

"They're still sleeping!" Luffy called up to Zoro.

"Leave them then!" Zoro called back, noticing that Vivi and Nami were finally catching up.

"I can't leave him!" Vivi said to Nami who was trying to get her to board.

"Hey! What's the problem?!" Zoro asked, wondering if the two knew the situation they were in.

"She says her duck is missing!" Nami called, clearly at the end of her patience.

"He won't come when I whistle for him!" Vivi said. Zoro turned slowly to look at the duck sitting beside him, the swordsman crossing his arms over his chest.

"This him?" He asked in a deadpanned voice, the duck raising a wing in greeting.

"You're there?!"

"He was here even before me." Nami and Vivi yelled in irritation. Seeing that everyone was here, Vivi and Nami began climbing the rope ladder to get onto the Merry, nothing holding them back now.

"There's a tributary just up the river! We can use it to get out to sea a little faster!" Vivi called to Nami as the navigator rushed on deck.

"Alright! Let's go!" Nami called when everything was ready. At her words, Zoro and Luffy set the sails, letting Nami handle the rest.

"Hey." Vivi was surprised to hear Zoros voice, jumping as she turned to look at him.

"Mr. Bushido..." The princess said, her duck turning to look at the swordsman as well.

"Just how many people are gonna be chasing us down?" Zoro asked, wanting to know for the future.

"I don't know. There are about 2,000 people in Baroque Works, and I've heard there are several town like bases like this one nearby." Vivi informed them. Hearing this, Nami leaned over the railing of the upper deck, worry on her face.

"They really might send 1,000 people?!" Nami asked incredulously. From the mast, Usopp and Sanji both poked their heads up, rubbing them groggily.

"H-huh?" Sanji muttered, looking around.

"The ships leaving?!" Usopp asked, blinking in confusion.

"Finally awake, I see," Nami said in a bored tone, annoyed that they had managed to sleep through the whole thing.

"Wait! Let's just stay one more night!" Sanji cried, he and Usopp rushing to the railing to look at the town that was growing smaller in the distance.

"Yeah!" Usopp shouted in agreement.

"This town is great! And the girls are cute!" Sanji continued.

"There's no telling when we'll have this much fun again!" Usopp added.

"Let's take it easy! We are pirates!"

"Plus, it's not even morning yet!"

"They have some nerve. They don't even know anything..." Zoro muttered in annoyance.

"Hey! Explain to them!" Zoro called over to Nami who was walking over to them. When she reached them, she hit the two over the head to shut them up while Luffy watched on, not saying anything.

"Yep! I just did!" Nami called back with a smile.

"That was fast..." Zoro said, not having seen her hit them.

"Yeah, I left out the complicated parts. We should be able to leave the island soon." Nami said, looking around them to make sure they were headed the right way.

"Cool! There's fog now!" Luffy called, looking around as well to see the thick blanket of fog covering them.

"It's almost morning..." Zoro noted. Realizing they were getting close to escaping, Vivi and Karoo went to join Nami and Luffy on the upper deck, all of them watching the fog in front of them.

Even though they were all distracted with watching the fog, that didn't stop Luffy from picking up on the darkness behind them. It was the same as before when Igarams ship blew up, and because of that, Luffy was even more on edge when he turned to see who it was. Those with him noticed his sudden tension, wondering what was happening, only to see what Luffy had sensed.

Sitting on their railing was a woman with black hair and a purple cowgirl hat that matched her purple outfit. Seeing that they noticed her, the woman grinned, her chin in her hands as she tapped her fingers on her cheek.

"This is a nice ship." She told them calmly. Luffy already didn't like her because of the darkness he could feel in her, but looking at her closer, he could see that her aura was a black as well, though there was something off about it that he couldn't quite pinpoint. It wasn't the blackest aura he'd ever seen, but there was something about its edges that seemed wrong, something not right. Seeing as he wasn't able to figure it out at the moment, Luffy put the thought on the back burner in favor of what was happening but keeping a close eye on the new arrival all the same.

"Who're you?!" Zoro asked, hand moving to his swords instinctively.

"Y-you're...!" Vivi stuttered, unable to speak clearly. Noticing this, the woman's smile widened and she tilted her head further into her hand.

"I ran into Mr. 8 a short while ago, Miss Wednesday." She said, showing her teeth now as she smiled.

"You killed Igaram!" Vivi all but growled. Luffy didn't correct her, deciding he would do that later, and decided to address this new person himself. He wanted nothing to do with her, and if they had to fight that was fine with him, as long as she got off his ship.

"Who are you? What're you doing on this ship?" Luffy asked with a dangerous look.

"What are you doing here, Miss All Sunday?!" Vivi asked, revealing that the woman was apart of Baroque Works.

"Miss All Sunday?! What number is she partner to?!" Nami asked fearfully.

"She's the partner of Mr. 0... the boss!" Vivi told them, her voice low and serious.

"The bo- _Crocodile?!_ " Nami screeched.

"She was the only one who knew the boss' identity. We found out who he is by following her!" Vivi said, turning to glare at Miss All Sunday.

"More accurately... I allowed you to follow me." Miss All Sunday said, Luffy feeling that she was telling the truth.

"I know that! You're also the one who told him we discovered his identity, right?!" Vivi yelled, fists clenched at her sides.

"That's right." Miss All Sunday confirmed.

"What exactly is it you're trying to do?!" Vivi demanded to know.

"Good question. You were all so intent and serious that I found myself helping out. The idea of a princess trying her hardest to save her kingdom while making herself an enemy of Baroque Works... It was just so ridiculous, you see..." She said, her posture and expression never changing as she spoke.

"Don't mock us!" Vivi screamed angrily as the crew moved at once. Sanji and Usopp, who had finally woken up from Namis hit, both pulled out weapons; Usopp aimed his slingshot at the woman while Sanji held a gun to her head. Zoro pulled out his sword and Nami her bo staff, but Luffy didn't move, still ready for anything. He could feel the calm confidence in Miss All Sunday, telling him that she was either strong enough that she felt she could take them all easily, or she had something else up her sleeve. Whatever it was, Luffy wasn't going to do anything until he knew more, especially seeing as this woman had both bad feelings and a bad color.

"Hey! Sanji! You do realize what you're doing?!" Usopp asked as he pulled the sling of his slingshot back, holding it there.

"No, not really. I just sensed that my beloved Miss Wednesday was in danger..." Sanji admitted. For once, Miss All Sunday frowned, though was still calm about the situation she was in as she closed her eyes.

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't point such dangerous objects at me." She said, and just as fast as everyone had pulled out their weapons, they were disarmed. Namis bo staff was smacked out of her hands while Usopp and Sanji were flung away from her.

"You don't mean-!" Zoro started with wide eyes.

"A devil-" Vivi was cut off as Zoros sword was also knocked out of his hands despite there being no one there to do it.

"A devil fruit?!" The swordsman asked.

"Which one?! What's her power?!" Vivi asked desperately, watching as Usopp and Sanji landed nearby.

"Ow... Uwah! Upon closer look, you're actually a beautiful lady!" Sanji said, his eyes turning to hearts immediately as he looked up at Miss All Sunday.

"Now, now. Don't be so hasty. I haven't been given any orders. I have no reason to fight." She said honestly. As she said this though, Luffy felt the straw hat on his head fly off, watching as it flew into the woman's waiting hand. She spun it around, looking to Luffy now as she did.

"So you're the infamous 11097, the straw hat Captain I've heard so much about... Monkey D. Luffy." There was a strange feeling in the woman now, like she was interested despite her outward appearance suggesting otherwise. Luffy only felt himself tense up though, his anger growing at the fact that this woman with dark colors and feelings had just stolen his hat, something that was extremely precious to him.

"Give me my hat back," Luffy demanded, his voice quiet and low, yet threatening. His face only backed the tone of voice as he glared dangerously at Miss All Sunday. The tension was palpable for the crew as they looked between Luffy and Miss All Sunday. It wasn't often they saw Luffy anything but happy, so for him to be so angry was a little jarring.

Miss All Sunday remained silent a moment, anything she had ready to say gone as she looked Luffy in the eye. Despite her expression remaining unchanged, Luffy could feel her emotions shift. She suddenly felt much more cautious than she had earlier, and maybe even a small bit nervous.

"My, what an angry tone. I'm assuming this is important to you then?" She asked, smiling despite her inner feelings as she put the hat on top of her own.

"How unlucky you are..." She started, her words sounding like there was a meaning behind them that they weren't understanding. She looked Luffy in the eye for another minute before she tossed the straw hat back to him, the Captain catching it easily and placing it on his head.

"You people who picked up a princess Baroque Works is out to kill... And a princess being protected by a mere handful of pirates... But what's even unluckier is the course your log Pose indicates." Miss All Sunday began, her smile returning as wide as ever. Nami checked her Log Pose in worry, wondering what was so bad about its destination.

"The name of the next island is... Little Garden. We don't even need to do anything, you'll be wiped out long before you can even reach Alabasta." She told them confidently, her eyes scanning over all of them.

"We won't," Luffy told her calmly, but just as confident as she had been.

"Hm. Perhaps not. Fate favors a D after all. However, fate hasn't seemed to favor you and your brothers all that much, has it?" She asked, making Luffy bristle, his heart pounding faster.

"What's that supposed to mean?" His tone was just as dangerous as it'd been when he'd demanded his hat back. Nami and Usopp gulped nervously as the conversation progressed, all of them knowing that Luffy's past was not something the teen enjoyed talking about. Zoro shared in that worry, watching Luffy and the woman carefully, but not saying anything, while Sanji continued gawking at Miss All Sundays beauty. Vivi, being new to the crew, had no idea what the significance behind the woman's words were and so she listened on in lost confusion.

"To get caught up in such a place as the facility? Surely that wasn't the luck of a D that allowed that to happen." Miss All Sunday answered.

"And what do you know about facilities?" Luffy asked, trying to keep calm but feeling his self-control slipping away faster and faster.

"More than I'm supposed to. More than your own crew it seems. In any case, maybe it was that same luck of a D that helped you and your brothers get out. The first children to escape a facility." She said, standing finally and turning to face the ocean.

"Perhaps Little Garden will be peaceful in comparison to such a place as the facility. If you do happen to survive... let's meet again." Miss All Sunday finished, turning to look at them over her shoulder.

"No, I don't think so," Luffy told her, never wanting to see this woman again. She nodded at his words, still smiling, before jumping over the railing.

"Let's go, Bunchi!" She said as she landed on top of a large turtle beside the Merry.

"W-what is that?!" Zoro asked as he and Usopp went to look over the railing.

"Don't tell me it's a sea king!" Usopp yelled fearfully.

"No! A turtle!" Usopp realized, watching it slowly swim away from them. Luffy had yet to move though, still staring at the spot where Miss All Sunday had been sitting, his mind racing with a thousand different thoughts. Behind him, Nami was watching in worry, noticing that he'd yet to move.

"Luffy?" She asked cautiously, not wanting him to lash out at her. When he still didn't respond, everyone else turned to look as well.

"I don't like her. She's not a good person." Luffy eventually said, his voice still hard and low. Everyone was silent, not sure how to respond to that, but then Usopp piped up nervously from beside Zoro.

"Hey, uh, can someone explain what's going on?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuun! Robin has made her big appearance! And she knows about facilities somehow! Things are steadily progressing and before you know it we'll be at Alabasta fighting Warlords.
> 
> Lets not get ahead of ourselves though. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and even though it didn't have a showdown between Luffy and Zoro like it originally did in canon, I will tell you all that I do plan to rectify that loss in a future chapter. I have big plans for Alabasta and more of this stories plot will be revealed during that arc. I really don't want to get ahead of myself, but I can't tell you all how excited I am for Alabasta.
> 
> In other news, my next semester is beginning and as I did before, I'm going to take a month off so that I can adjust to my new class schedule and get ahead on some writing. I plan to come back around the end of February, possibly early March at the latest. I love you all and I thank you all for the constant encouragement and well wishes and I hope everyone can hang in there until I come back with more chapters.
> 
> As always, thank you all so much for your love and support. I never dreamed I would get this much attention on my stories, and to see all the notifications come in whenever I post new chapters truly makes my day. This series wasn't originally meant to go on for this long; I'd only ever planned on doing a short 20 chapter story for The Devil Wears White, but here we are after a full 100 chapters of the original story and now 23 chapters of a sequel.
> 
> I'm rambling, but all of this is to say that you guys are amazing and have been such a large driving force behind my inspiration. Thank you all so so soooo much! I'll see you all after my short break!


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